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Feb. 17, 2016

No. 14 Virginia at Drexel • #UVAMLAX #GOHOOS
Date/Time Sat., Feb. 20, 2016 | 1 p.m.
Location Philadelphia, Pa. | Vidas Field (1,500)
Television N/A
Radio N/A
Multimedia Gametracker | Free Live Video
Social Media
@UVAMensLacrosse | Facebook | Instagram
Game Notes Virginia Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader
Additional Information Tickets | 2016 Fact Book | 2016 Statistics

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia men’s lacrosse team returns to action on Saturday as the Cavaliers (0-1) head to Philadelphia to take on Drexel (0-0) in the Dragons’ season opener. Faceoff is set for 1 p.m. at Vidas Field. UVA is ranked No. 14 this week in the USILA coaches poll and No. 13 in the Cascade/Maverick media poll.

Live stats of the game will be available at VirginiaSports.com. There will be a free live video webcast available through DrexelDragons.com

The Cavaliers bring a 14-1 all-time record against the Dragons into Saturday’s contest, including a 7-0 mark in Philadelphia. UVA’s lone loss in the series was a season-opening setback to the Dragons on the University Hall Turf Field in 2007, a contest moved out of Klöckner Stadium due to weather.

Despite UVA’s dominant series record, all of the recent matchups against Drexel have been strongly contested beginning with Drexel’s surprising victory in Charlottesville to open the 2007 season. UVA has won three of the last four meetings by a goal apiece. In the last meeting at Vidas Field in 2014, UVA used a game-winning goal by Mark Cockerton with 15 seconds left to elevate the Cavaliers over Drexel, 11-10. UVA goalie Matt Barrett made a big save for UVA and the Cavaliers were able to push the ball into a transition to set up the game-winning score. Owen Van Arsdale tried to feed Ryan Tucker in front of the crease, but his stick was hit on the pass. Cockerton picked up the ball off the turf and deposited it into the goal from the front of the crease.

UVA’s 20-5 win in 2002 was the first meeting with Drexel in more than 50 years. The first meeting of the two schools occurred in 1947, Virginia’s first season following World War II. The Cavaliers gained a 7-2 victory in Philadelphia. Barry Robertson was high man for UVA with four goals, while goalie Bob Catzen registered 12 saves.

Greg Coholan, Ryan Conrad, AJ Fish and Ryan Lukacovic all lead UVA with one goal apiece. Barrett is posting an 11.00 goals against average and saving 47.6 percent of shots against him in between the pipes.

Drexel head coach Brian Voelker is in his seventh season in charge of the Dragons, and returns 33 letterwinners and nine starters off last year’s 7-8 team. Cole Shafer is Drexel’s leading returning scorer from 2015 with 29 goals and 38 points. Robert Frazee is the next leading returning scorer with 17 goals and 22 points in 2015. Jimmy Joe Granito returns in the cage for Drexel. He started 11 games and went 7-4 in between the pipes in 2015. Granito posted an 8.35 goals against average and saved 53.3 percent of the shots he saw in 2015.

The Cavaliers return to Klöckner Stadium on Tuesday, Feb. 23 when High Point comes to Charlottesville for a mid-week tilt. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m.

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