No. 1 Virginia men's lacrosse team tops Drexel in season opener

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Rob Emery took a Colin Briggs pass and scored the game’s final goal with 4:48 to go, lifting the No. 1 Virginia men’s lacrosse team to a season-opening 9-8 win over No. 20 Drexel on Saturday afternoon.

A little more than three minutes prior to Emery’s tally, Bobby Hill notched his first collegiate goal to tie the game at 8-8 in front of 2,331 fans at Vidas Field.

“We knew we were going to have our hands full coming in here,” said Virginia coach Dom Starsia, whose team improved to 1-0. “This was a quality win against a very good Drexel team. For us to get a win like this in the first game on the road, a win that will stand up over the course of the season, is a meaningful way to start the season.”

Virginia is now 46-32-1 all-time in season opening games and has raised its series record against Drexel to 11-1.

Rob Fortunato was stellar between the pipes for Virginia, saving 11 shots and picking up five ground balls in his second career start. Drexel outshot UVa 41-24, but the Cavaliers won the ground ball (36-24) and faceoff (12-9) battles behind Ryan Benincasa’s 7-of-9 effort in the second half.

Emery and Owen Van Arsdale led Virginia with two goals apiece, while Briggs added two assists. Nick Trizano and Brendan Glynn led Drexel with two goals apiece.

“Great atmosphere here today,” said Starsia. “Credit to Drexel head coach Brian Voelker and his team for a great game across the board. It was a team win as much as it was anything else. We needed some young guys to step up and make plays and they did that for us and that is the way it’s going to have to be during the season.”

Virginia returns to action on Tuesday when it hosts VMI at 7 p.m.