Drexel, Villanova, and Saint Joseph’s Could Not Win the Trophy or Automatic Bid
May 4, 2025 –
Over the weekend five teams from the Philly Big Five made to their conference championship game. Villanova had a home contest. But at the end all fell short and now must await the decision of the Tournament Committee to find if their season will continue. None whose prospects are too promising.
Villanova
Both the men’s and women’s team entered the tournament as the second seed. But would lose the final to the number one seeds, the same teams that defeated the Wildcats in the regular season finale.
BIG EAST Men’s Lacrosse: Georgetown 16 Villanova 8 at Denver, CO
Villanova entered the final after defeating Providence in the semifinal round. Georgetown won their seventh consecutive BIG EAST championship by doubling up Nova. Trailing 7 – 4 at halftime the Wildcats had the game det away from them being outscored 5 – 1 in the third quarter. The hopes of a Nova comeback would be ended as they were held scoreless over the last 8:32 of the game.
Matt Licata and Quinton Cepiel scored a team-best 2 goals with Licata adding an assist. Aidan Carroll scored a game-high 8 goals for the Hoyas. Jack Ransom (3) and Joe Casare (2) had multiple goals. Carroll and Ransom assisted twice.
Villanova outshot Georgetown 48 – 33, but only 20 Nova shots were on goal while the Hoyas had 24 forcing Wildcats goalie Denis Fargione to make 8 saves. Georgetown faceoff specialist Ross Prince won 17 of 23 faceoffs. A key stat on defense was that Villanova went 0 – 5 on Extra Man Opportunities.
BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse: Denver 14 Villanova 9 at Villanova Stadium
The Denver Pioneers scored 7 consecutive goals in the second period for an 8 – 1 advantage in those 15 minutes, Villanova would get no closer to the lead than 6 goals.
Attack Sydney Pappas led the Wildcats with a game-high 5 goals. Midfielder Leslie Iorio scored twice. Midfielder Rose Christie assisted 3 times, and attack Elena Torres recorded 2 assists. Pioneers midfielder Olivia Ripple scored a team-best 4 goals. Wilson Reagan posted a consistent 3 goals and 3 assists. Ryan Dineen and Lauren Black had multiple goals.
In shots the Wildcats had one more with 31, but the Pioneers had a 19 – 17 edge in shots on goal. Denver goal keeper Emma Bohi made 8 saves. Cate Gallagher turned in 5 saves for Villanova. The Wildcats were a bit more efficient only turning over the ball 13 times compared to 20, and the Cats were successful on all 17 clears.
Denver had the better of the ground balls scooping up 17 compared to 10, and in draw controls getting 15 to 11. Wilson had the most draws winning 5.
Drexel
Both the men’s and women’s team played for the title on the road. Each Dragons squad scored 10 goals, but it was not enough against both the top seeds and defending champions.
CAA Men’s Lacrosse: Towson 13 Drexel 10 at Towson
The Towson Tigers had the advantage early in the game taking a 7 – 3 at halftime forcing the Drexel Dragons to play uphill. Drexel did make a comeback getting to within 9 – 8 early in the fourth quarter. But Towson put the game away scoring the next four.
The closeness of the game was reflected in the relatively even stats. Towson won the faceoff battles 15 – 12. In shots on goal the Tigers were ahead 25 – 19 forcing Dragons goalie Brendan Donnelly to make 12 saves. Drexel converted only 2 of 4 extra man opportunities while the Tigers were successful on all three.
Dragons attack Conor Hooley scored a team-high tying 3 goals. Fellow attack Witt Crawford had 2 goals and 2 assists. Attack Max Semple also recorded 3 goals. Midfielder Owen Knight assisted twice. Aidan Shortley won 15 of his 26 faceoffs.
Tigers attack Ronan Fitzpatrick led in goals scored netting 5. Attack Mikey Weisshaar scored twice and assisted three times, while midfielder Chop Gallagher registered twice in each category.
CAA Women’s Lacrosse: Stony Brook 12 Drexel 10 at Stony Brook
Another close loss for the Dragons as the Stony Brook Seawolves 12 – 10 who won their third consecutive CAA title and trip to the NCAA Tournament. The difference in the game came down to Stony Brook winning the second and third quarters by one goal. The other quarter were even. With 10:06 remaining Drexel attack Allison Drake capped a two-goal rally to tie the game at 10. Kate Marano scored the other goal. But Stony Brook answered with 2 goals over the last 3:27 by Kylie Budke.
The Seawolves posted a 30 -15 edge in shots on goal. But Dragons goal keeper Jenika Cuocco was up to the task making 18 saves to match a career-high. Anna Maria Cragnani and Marano each scored 3 goals. Attack Brea Buckley assisted game-high 5 times while Bridget Finley helped on 4 goals.
Stony Brook attack Charlotte Wilmoth had 3 goals and 2 assists. In addition to Budke, Alexandra Fusco and Isabella Caproruscio scored 2 goals. The Seawolves picked up 22 ground balls compared to 11 for the Dragons, and turned the ball over only 8 times compared to 17.
Saint Joseph’s
The Hawks made the title game as the number 2 seed defeating VCU 17 – 7 in the semifinal round. UMass was number one and ranked 25th in the nation, and a perennial power in the conference. The defeat ended a six-game Hawks winning streak.
Atlantic 10 Women’s Lacrosse: UMass 15 Saint Joseph’s 4 at Richmond, VA
Saint Joseph’s fell victim to 10 second half goals by Massachusetts. The Hawks could not generate much offense. Against UMass, they needed much more, despite winning 14 of 21 draw controls.
Hawks attack Alexa Capozzoli and Riley Miller posted a goal and an assist. Capozzoli now has 57 assists, a program record. Goal keeper Jorden Concordia made 5 saves and concludes her career with 731 saves, 175 ground balls, and 46 wins, all tops in the categories at Saint Joseph’s. The Hawks had 16 turnovers compared to 10. SJU did not help themselves by getting 1 free position goal.
UMass doubled up St. Joe’s in shots 20 -10, and a 16 – 7 edge in ground balls. Massachusetts scored on 6 free position shots. The trio of Ava Connaughton, Delany Rodriguez-Shaw, and Tessa Shields scored three goals each. Shields assisted twice. Kassidy Morris, Norah Prizzi, and Dylan Lyons found the back of the net twice apiece.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
Be the first to comment