Oct. 23, 2012
PHILADELPHIA Saint Joseph's dropped a pair of close games last weekend as the Hawks fell to #23 Saint Louis, 1-0, on Friday and Butler, 2-1, on Sunday. This week's Philadelphia Soccer Six Rookie of the Week Tim Lazorko netted SJU's lone goal of the weekend while junior midfielder Jimmy Reilly contributed the assist. The Hawks conclude their home season with a 2-6 overall record (0-4 Atlantic 10) on Finnesey Field, with wins coming against Hartwick, 2-1 in overtime of the home opener, and Rider, 3-0.
SJU will conclude the remainder of its season on the road as the squad will travel to La Salle (Oct. 26) and Fordham (Oct. 28) this weekend before playing its season finale at Temple (Nov. 3).
Hawks at La Salle
Saint Joseph's is 22-23-9 all-time against La Salle, with its most recent match being a 4-0 loss to the Explorers in 2011. Senior goalkeeper Andrew D'Ottavi made a career-high ten saves in the loss. La Salle is 8-5-2 overall and 2-3-0 in conference action and rank ninth in the A-10. The Explorers enter Friday's match against the Hawks having lost their last three.
Hawks at Fordham
The Hawks and Rams have crossed paths 15 times as SJU stands at 4-10-1 all-time against Fordham with its most recent match being a 2-1 loss to the Rams in 2011. Sophomore midfielder Jake Nelson netted a penalty kick to score the Hawks' final goal of the season in their second to last game. Fordham is currently 5-5-3 overall and 1-2-2 in the A-10, ranking the team 14th in conference standings. The Rams will play Temple (Oct. 26) before hosting the Hawks.
Hawks at Temple
SJU stands at 13-37-6 all-time against Temple after having dropped a 2-0 decision to the Owls in 2011. D'Ottavi and Nelson stood out for the Hawks as D'Ottavi made seven saves in the net and Nelson had a solid game creating chances on the outside flank. Temple ranks fifth in A-10 standings with a 3-1-1 record (7-5-2 overall) and will play both Fordham and La Salle before entering its final home game of the season against the Hawks on November 3.
Best of Brennan: Senior midfielder Tim Brennan was honored before Sunday's game in a Senior Day celebration for his commitment to the Hawks men's soccer program throughout his four years at Hawk Hill. The senior captain has started every game at midfield for the Hawks this season while starting 63 games in his career. Additionally, Sunday's game against Butler marked Brennan's 66th consecutive game played in the Crimson and Gray. Brennan scored his first collegiate goal in this season's 3-0 win over Rider (10/15) and was named to the 2012 University of Kentucky Invitational All-Tournament team. Off of the field, he has proven to be the epitome of a student-athlete as he was selected to the 2011 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team and has made the Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and SJU Athletic Director's Honor Roll for six semesters in a row. Brennan has also been an active member of SAAC (Student Athletic Advisory Committee) for the past two years.
Head coach Don D'Ambra stated, "Timmy has earned the respect of his coaches and teammates by giving 100% effort every day - at practice and in games. He is the most dependable player on both sides of the field and has been a tremendous captain for this team. Because of the characteristics that he exemplifies, I am confident that Tim will be very successful in whatever he decides to do in life."
*To view the photo gallery from Senior Day/Home Finale, click here!
Close Calls in the Conference: Although the Hawks stand at 1-5 in the Atlantic 10, an obvious amount of improvement has been made from last season. With the exception of a 2-0 loss to UMass, SJU proved to be competitors in all other conference losses as the Hawks held ties with Duquesne until the 95th minute of overtime, St. Bonaventure until the 84th minute, #23 Saint Louis until the 71st minute, and Butler until the 89th minute. A result of prime offense and crucial defense, SJU has netted seven shots this season in conference, doubling last season's amount of goals scored at this point in the season.
Name of the Game is Saves: Saint Joseph's improved in five NCAA categories, three team and two individual, for the week ending 10/21. Team categories included save percentage (+12) team goals against average (+10), and saves per game (+five). D'Ottavi climbed the rankings once more in saves per game, where he now ranks 31st in the nation with 4.93 spg, and total saves, where he now stands at 24th with 69 saves.
