Sept. 27, 2012
PHILADELPHIA - The Hawks fell to #24 Cornell by a score of 3-2 but defeated Bucknell 1-0 this past week as they stand at 3-5 overall. Junior Pat McGlynn, sophomore Jake Nelson, and freshman Tim Lazorko led Saint Joseph's with one goal apiece while Nelson contributed two assists. Sophomore Alex Critzos and junior Brendan Reilly also tallied one assist each. With the win over Bucknell, Saint Joseph's surpasses its total number of wins from the 2011 season.
Looking ahead, the squad will play its third straight game on the road at Loyola (Md.) this Saturday, September 29. Loyola is currently 5-3-1. SJU and Loyola first met back in 1978, and this is the first meeting between the two schools since 1986. The Hawks are 2-8 all-time against Loyola.
Saint Joseph's will have the rest of next week off from games before opening up Atlantic 10 conference play at home on October 5 against Duquesne.
Coach's Corner: "Our team has competed at a level where we have given ourselves a chance to win every game," said head coach Don D'Ambra following the Hawks 3-2 loss to Cornell. "We have improved in all aspects of the game and we are eager to get results and show that we can compete and get results against top programs. Increasing in our statistics and rankings is a good example of our improvements but we can not be complacent with that, we need to find ways to win close games."
D'Ottavi and Defensive Dominance: Senior goalkeeper Andrew D'Ottavi made a season-high nine saves against a 6-0 Cornell team that was ranked 24th in the nation at the time of play. Two of the goals were scored by Daniel Haber, the nation's leading scorer at the time. D'Ottavi saved two of Haber's shots - one in the 59th minute to keep hold the Hawk deficit to one (2-1) before another Hawk goal and one in the 89th minute to once again keep the Hawks to within one with a score of 3-2. D'Ottavi also registered his second shutout of the season in the 1-0 win over Bucknell. Additionally, the defensive line recorded five blocked shot attempts against Cornell and seven against Bucknell. Nationally, D'Ottavi currently ranks 49th in saves per game with 4.71 and 55th in total saves with 33.
Lazorko in the Limelight: Freshman midfielder Tim Lazorko scored his first collegiate goal in the 81st minute of the Saint Joseph's/Bucknell game to earn the Hawks their third win of the season. Lazorko made a run behind Bucknell's back line and took a brilliant shot to the far post to put the Hawks on the board with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation. The freshman has started and played in seven games for the Hawks this season, registering three points on one goal and one assist.
Rise in the Rankings: The Hawks continued to improve in NCAA rankings since September 16. For statistics ending September 23, Saint Joseph's moved up in saves per game (35 places), total assists (19 places), scoring offense (11 places), save percentage (11 places), and total points (seven places). SJU now ranks 47th in the nation in saves per game with 4.86.
