By Chris Vaccaro
With only a few games remaining in the regular season, the win against Drexel University last Friday at James M. Shuart Stadium was a must have. The Pride has found itself in a heated race for top spot in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
The No. 16 Pride (6-6, 4-1 CAA) has won three straight games and the entire supporting cast is performing above expectations. Sophomore attack Athan Ianucci had a career day with six points (four goals) and has helped to provide freshman goalie James Tuohy with enough offensive support to feel comfortable in net in the 11-5 victory.
Three teams in the conference have a legitimate shot at taking the coveted first place seed in the CAA Tournament. Along with the Pride, Towson (8-3, 3-1) and Delaware (8-4, 3-1) each have a chance at putting up enough firepower to make a late- season push.
“People are just playing their role and everyone is doing what they are supposed to do,” Ianucci said.
Not only did this victory mean a boost in the team’s confidence, and a stepping-stone in the path to a possible NCAA Tournament bid, but it was also the 200th career victory for head coach John Danowski.
Milestone aside, the Pride had its intentions set on getting ahead early in the contest. “It just means I’ve been around for a while,” said Danowski, who was focused on his team’s performance rather than his personal accolades.
The Dragons (8-4, 1-3) were beat in every aspect of the game despite having entered the game with the sixth lowest goals against average in the nation at 6.64.
The Pride jumped on Drexel early, scoring four unanswered goals in the first quarter. Just under six minutes into the game, junior Chris Unterstein scored his 11th goal of the season off a pass from junior John Keysor while standing directly in front of the cage. Just seconds later, Ianucci scored his first of the game from 13 yards away. Junior Rob Bonaguro became the sixth Pride player to reach double digits in scoring as he scored his 10th goal of the year at 1:34, and Ianucci then assisted junior Tim Treubig on his 12th goal of the season from 15 yards out to end the first quarter with a 4-0 lead.
Already in a hole, the Dragons tried to muster something on the offensive front and managed to score 2:01 into the second quarter as junior Matt Musci netted his 15th of the season while running in from close range.
The scoring for both teams had calmed down until the 8:27 mark of the second quarter when junior Ryan Lucas received a pass from freshman Mike Unterstein and scored on a shot from behind his head to give the Pride a 5-1 lead. Mike Unterstein ended the game with three assists.
Both teams had one goal left in them before the half. Senior Ryan Vilar scored for the Pride and sophomore Greg Dougherty scored one of his two goals for the Dragons to end the half with the Pride holding a 6-2 advantage.
However, Ianucci dampened any Dragon hopes of a comeback as he scored three goals for the Pride in the third quarter.
“Athan has been learning and playing better,” Danowski said. “But the people around him are playing better too.” This has undoubtedly helped everyone on the team take their roles more seriously and display a more team orientated style of play.
With the game all but over, Tuohy was relieved of his duties after 56 minutes of play. Junior Matt Southard allowed two goals in 26 seconds in his return to net after a suspension for violation of University policy.
“He had a tremendous outing once again,” Danowski said when asked about his freshman net minder’s performance. “He’s played well, but I also think it’s a product of the defense playing well around him.”
The coaching staff and players all see this support that they are giving one another, and the team hopes it has only just begun. If it keeps up, then the team has the ability to grow and get stronger in each game.
Other than a lack of support in net in the final minutes, the Pride took control of every statistical category by out-shooting the Dragons 36-24, grabbing 33 groundballs compared to Drexel’s 16, and won 13 of 19 face-offs.
The Pride, who shares the same conference record as the Tigers, will next travel to Towson on April 23, which will be the toughest conference battle the team will see all season.
Junior Chris Unterstein scored a goal in the Pride´s win over Drexel University last week. Athan Ianucci also added four goals and a career-high six points. (Photo Courtesy Brian Balweg)