April 12, 2002

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LAST TIME OUT...
WILDCATS FALL TO STONY BROOK IN CLOSING MINUTES
The Villanova men's lacrosse road woes continued on Saturday April 6, in a last minute loss to Stony Brook 10-9. The Seawolves scored the game-winning goal with 1:11 remaining in regulation to capture the victory. The loss left the Wildcats with a 3-5 record on the year, their third road lost of the year. Meanwhile Stony Brook improves to 7-3 overall. Villanova jumped out to a strong start, leading 3-0, on two first quarter goals by freshman Marc Creegan and one from senior Justin Marks. Stony Brook answered back with a surge of its own, finding the back of the net three times in the second quarter. In the third quarter the Wildcats scored three more goals, to jump out to an 8-4 lead. However it wasn't enough to hold off Stony Brook and Kevin Pall, the Division I leader in goals per game. The Seawolves went on to score five straight, four of which came in the final period. This last minute rally gave them the 10-9 lead, and the victory.

VILLANOVA TRAVELS TO TOWSON
The Wildcats travel to Towson, Md. for visit with the No. 16-ranked ranked Towson Tigers for a CAA clash. Villanova has failed to beat Towson the prior eight meetings. Head coach Randy Marks is 0-7 against the Tigers. The last time these two teams met was back in 1995, at Minnegan Stadium. The Wildcats suffered a 15-11 lost at the hands of the Tigers.

RADIO SEASON DEBUT
For the first time this season the Villanova faithful will be able to tune in for a live broadcast on the radio. The game will be aired on WTMD Radio, 89.7 on the FM dial in the Baltimore area. A link to WTMD will be set-up on game-day, Saturday, April 13, on the Official Site of Villanova Athletics. With the click of a button you will be able to listen to the game live. The opening face-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at Minnegan Stadium. The pre-game show begins 10 minutes before the opening face-off. Spiro Morekas, a 1983 Towson University graduate, is the voice of Towson University.

UP NEXT...
'CATS RETURN HOME TO FACE LAFAYETTE
Following today's match-up the Wildcats will return to the Main Line to face the Lafayette Leopards on Tuesday April 16, at 7:00 P.M. Head coach Randy Marks has posted a resounding 13-2 record against the Leopards. Lafayette currently stands at 1-7 overall and 0-4 in the Patriot League. Before their match-up with Villanova, Lafayette must travel to Worcester, Mass., to face the Holy Cross Crusaders.

THE LIFE OF BRIAN
Since joining the Wildcats men's lacrosse program for the 2000 season, junior Brian Marks has become a mainstay in the Wildcats offensive attack. In 36 games as a Wildcat, Brian Marks has tallied 118 career points (54 goals, 64 assists). Brian Marks, a junior All-American candidate currently leads Villanova with 28 points on 12 goals and 16 assists. Lately, his production has increased rapidly. Through the first five games of the season Brian Marks had five goals and eight assists. However, in the past three games, he has recorded 15 points on seven goals and eight assists, including a season-best seven point effort against Sacred Heart.

CORSO'S CRAZIES
You may not read about him in the headlines, but in case you have not noticed already, junior Owen Corso is simply a groundball fiend. Through eight games this season, Corso leads the CAA with 61 groundballs, an average of 7.63 per game. With eleven ground balls in the loss to Stony Brook, he moves to No. 3 on the NCAA list of leaders. Corso's contributions to the team only begin with his abilities as a "groundball machine." Corso brings a level of intensity unlike any other Wildcat. He is the Wildcats intimidator as well as the leading All-American candidate. Keep your eye on No. 2 and his unique style of play. If his skills don't amaze you, the "craziness" which he brings to the playing field assuredly will.

PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
The Wildcats' record of 3-5 is rather deceiving. Since joining the Colonial Athletic Association Villanova has faced off against three nationally ranked teams, No. 4 John Hopkins, No. 11 Hofstra, and after today No. 16 Towson. Still remaining on the schedule is No. 18 Pennsylvania and No. 5 Loyola.

HOLLOWAY'S STREAK SNAPPED
The 20 stitches Wildcat Senior Mike Holloway received following the John Hopkins game didn't keep him from playing in Villanova's 11-9 loss to Stony Brook. However, he failed to score against the Seawolves, ending the senior captain's 12 game streak in which he has scored at least one goal. For the season Holloway, the Wildcats top scoring midfielder, has 13 goals and eight assists.

BETTER THAN THE REST
Villanova's man-up offense tops the list of all Division I programs with a .531 success rate scoring 17 goals in 32 attempts through eight games this season. Wildcat sophomore Dave Cacciabeve and standout freshman Marc Creegan lead the attack when it comes extra man opportunities. On the flip side Villanova ranks last in man-down defense in the CAA. They have 21 stops on 37 attempts.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
While freshman goalie Dan Biser served his one game suspension against Colgate, Coach Marks turned to sophomore Sean Philbin to guard the net. The Anne Arundle Community College transfer has started the last two games, allowing 10 goals in each contest. He has also provided the Wildcat defense with 19 total saves. Coach Marks is giving him the starting nod today, while Biser awaits the call from the bench.

O' BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU
Two Villanova seniors will have the benefit of playing along side their younger brother this season. Once again senior Justin Marks will join his brother Brian Marks on attack. The Marks' brothers combined to tally 41 goals and 32 assists last season and have picked up right where they left off. In the season opener, the two combined for three goals and five assists for eight points. The older brother of Justin and Brian, David Marks, will be on the sidelines as an assistant coach in his third season. Another brother combo joins the Wildcats this year: senior Mike Holloway and freshman Pat Holloway.

KEEP UP WITH THE 'CATS
Following the Wildcats on the Internet or on the telephone has never been easier. Get Villanova scores, statistics, and team information on the Official Web Site of Villanova Athletics at www.villanova.com, or on the Official Athletic Hotline at (888) 400 NOVA. To receive the latest information regarding Villanova men's lacrosse via email, send an email to kevin.fischer@villanova.edu and request that your name be added to the mail-out list