Games of September 11th to 16th
September 17, 2023 –
It was a tough week for our local teams as the Philly D1 schools compiled a 2 – 5 – 4 record over the week. There was a derby featuring La Salle and Saint Joseph’s that was a conference opener for both teams as well as a city game. Both the Drexel Dragons and the University of Pennsylvania Quakers picked up the victories over the week. Let’s take a look at the details.
The Philly Derby
Saint Joseph’s Hawks 1 La Salle Explorers 1
Our teams opened Atlantic 10 play with a 1 – 1 tie at McCarthy Stadium. Both goals were scored in the second half. Saint Joseph’s got the first goal early in the second half when junior forward Blake Driehuis scored off a cross from midfielder Truls Braendvang. Driehuis took the pass and headed it into the far side of the goal. La Salle earned the draw in the 84th minute. Senior midfielder Omri Ezra got the equalizer on a penalty kick, his first goal of the year. It was a tightly played game as the Hawks would get 9 shots, 5 on goal, while the Explorers would get 8 away with 3 going on net. Forward Bart Kooistra let 4 Saint Joe’s shots go, 2 requiring a save, and Driehuis shot the ball 3 times. The New Zealander for the Hawks, Driehuis, has scored six times in his last four games to equal his 2022 output. SJU is unbeaten on the road.
Drexel Dragons (3 – 1 – 2, 1 – 1 – 1 CAA)
The Drexel Dragons posted a non-conference victory at UMass Lowell 3 – 2, then stayed on the road and got a 1 – 1 league tie against the Monmouth Hawks. In Massachusetts the Dragons took a 2 – 0 halftime lead on goals by freshman defenseman Isaiah Whittaker-Francis and senior forward Dominick Bachstein. the Bachstein goal came into a wide open net 13 seconds before halftime. After UMass Lowell pulled to within a goal freshman backliner Julian Jordheim add the insurance goal off a header that Drexel would need. Against Monmouth both teams got their scores in the last 14 minutes of the match. Midfielder Patrick Short put the Dragons ahead at the 80:20 mark with a one-timer assisted by sophomore forward Ben Weller. It is the first goal for Short in a Drexel uniform. Monmouth tied the game just over 9 minutes later. Dragons goalie Alessandro Capogna made 8 saves, a season-high. Next for Drexel is a home game at Vidas Field on Tuesday against the Temple Owls.
Penn Quakers (2 – 2 – 1)
Over the week the Penn Quakers got a tie on the road and a win at home. Crossing the bridge to New Jersey Penn and the Rider Broncs played to a scoreless draw. It was a defensive battle for the Red and Blue who put one shot on goal. Rider had 5 shots on goal and 17 overall. Quakers goalie Nick Christoffersen increased his shutout streak to 263 consecutive minutes after that game. Finally, Penn got to play a home game and celebrated it defeating UAlbany 3 – 1 on the Penn Park pitch. Junior forward Stas Korzeniowski scored the first and the third goal for the Red and Blue. The assist on the first went to senior midfielder Michael Hewes who has scored 7 points over his last three games. Korzeniowski added his second of the game at the 72:55 mark. In between senior midfielder Mateo Zazueta converted his first penalty-kick goal just before halftime. Add another 90 minutes of shutout soccer for Christoffersen who now has played 353 minutes not allowing a goal. On the road again for Penn who go to Maryland for a match against Loyola (MD), their final non-conference game.
La Salle Explorers (3 – 2 – 2, 0 – 0 – 1 Atlantic 10)
In addition to the local match the La Salle Explorers lost 3 – 2 at NJIT giving the team a loss and a tie over the week. In New Jersey the Explorers fought back from a 2 – 0 deficit to tie the game on a goal by sophomore defenseman Americo Pereira in the 75th minute of play, a header off a cross by senior midfielder Drew Blackwell. But the Highlanders answered 2:04 later. Freshman midfielder Yuval Nimrodi got the proximity goal for the Explorers in the 61st minute. Nimrodi recorded 3 shots for La Salle. NJIT had a 21 – 11 advantage in shots, but LSU was more efficient having 7 on goal to 5 for the hosts. La Salle returns the Garden State on Tuesday for a game at Rider.
Saint Joseph’s Hawks (2 – 4 – 1, 0 – 0 – 1 Atlantic 10)
Prior to the conference opener dropped a 2 – 1 decision in Newark, DE against the Delaware Blue Hens. All goals were scored in the second half. Driehuis got the initial goal of the game just 3:18 into the latter stanza. Kooistra and defenseman Alex Hartmann assisted on the score. The Blue Hens tied it three and a half minutes later and added the game-winner in the 75th minute. The edge in shots and those on goal went to the hosts 12 – 6 and 6 – 3. Saint Joseph’s goes to Monmouth for a league game on Tuesday.
Villanova Wildcats (0 – 3 – 2, 0 – 1 – 0 Big East)
League play started for Villanova who hosted Butler at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Palmer Ault gave Butler a two-goal advantage into the second half. Villanova rallied. Senior midfielder Jorge Garcia scored in the 73rd minute, a kick from 19 yards away that found the left corner of the net. The Wildcats dominated in shots, 21 – 7, and 12 – 3 in shots on goal forcing Bulldogs goalie Caleb Norris to make 11 saves. Junior forward Vincent Petrera had 7 shots, 5 required a save. The Wildcats had 7 corner kicks to 4 for the Bulldogs. Villanova has outshot the opponent over their last two games 51 – 13 and forced the other goalie to male 25 saves. Nova just cannot find the back of the net right now. Their next chance comes on Tuesday when Western Michigan comes to the Main Line.
Temple Owls (0 – 4 – 2, 0 – 1 – 0 American)
It was a tough week for the Temple Owls who were outscored 12 – 2 over the week in losses at St. John’s (7 – 1) and at FIU (5 – 1). The Owls gave up a total of 47 shots, 21 on goal while garnering only 8 and 4. Sophomore midfielder George Medill got his first goal of the season in New York. Juan Zepeda and Rocco Haeufgloeckner registered an assist on the short shot by Medill. In Florida sophomore forward Lucas Hitters scored his collegiate first goal in the 87th minute. It was the conference opener for the Cherry and White. Temple plays another road game on Tuesday, a much shorter trip as they play at Vidas Field against the Drexel Dragons.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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