Spring Break
Dragons bests Villanova
Anthony Antinore
Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Sports
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The Wildcats were able to rally to score five straight goals to tie the game at seven, before Drexel's Kyle Bergman recorded the game-winner to seal the victory.
Drexel's Adam Dennis, Greg Casey and Scott Perri began the Dragons' scoring attack to give Drexel an early 3-0 lead. Villanova cut the lead to two, but Drexel answered back with a pair of goals to expand its lead to four with 8:49 left in the first half.
Kevin Cunningham knotched Nova's second goal of the game and cut the Dragons' lead to 5-2. Then, Colin Ambler stepped up and blasted two goals, separated by only 15 seconds, to give the Dragons a 7-2 halftime lead.
Drexel's five-goal halftime advantage had the Wildcats shocked going into the locker room. Drexel coach Chris Bates knew his team needed to come out desperate given its current situation in the CAA standings.
"This game was all or nothing," Bates said. "Any hopes of postseason play would have been over if we did not win."
The first nine minutes of the third quarter were scoreless, but the final six minutes would prove to be the opposite for the Wildcats. In a mere 4:07, the visiting Wildcats ripped off five straight goals to deadlock the game at 7-7 with 1:34 left in the third quarter.
Fans attending the game were stunned, but Ambler explained he and his teammates were not fazed.
"We expected Villanova to try and put a run together," Ambler said. "There is such great competition in our conference [and we] would never expect to win by five goals."
Villanova's onslaught left the Dragons with a crucial fourth quarter to decide whether they would have a chance to play in the CAA's postseason.
Only 1:38 into the fourth quarter, Ambler completed his hat trick to give the Dragons an early lead in the final stanza. Drexel held its lead until Tim Driscoll of Villanova launched a shot that beat Drexel goalie Mark Manos to tie the game again with 6:31 left.
Once again the Dragons needed a player to step up, and who better than the team's leading goal scorer going into the game, Bergman. With 5:37 left on the clock, Bergman received a pass from Perri and buried the game-winner.
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