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Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview: Drexel

We’re breaking down all the NCAA D1 teams one by one. Welcome to the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews! We are now at teams starting with the letter ‘D’,  and Drexel, located in Philadelphia, PA, is up for Preview… is 2013 going to be the year of the Dragon?

The 2012 season saw Drexel go 8-8, and they played a truly tough schedule. Of their 8 losses, 5 came in their first 7 games, 7 came against Top 20 teams, 5 were by one goal (UVA, Bucknell, Bryant, ND, PSU), and 2 were by two goals. Drexel’s biggest win was a 13-11 rematch victory over Penn State.

2013 sees Drexel take on a similar schedule with their Colonial Conference games, as well as match ups with Virginia, Albany, Robert Morris, Bryant, and High Point, with more games announced soon. The key early game to focus on for Drexel is their match up with Virginia on February 16th. Last year a one goal loss led to four more early losses. You can be sure Drexel wants to win that game badly.

Robert Church and Aaron Prosser are back to lead Drexel offensively. Brendan Glynn was the teams’ second leading scorer last year, but his status is unknown after suffering an injury. Kyle Bergman has graduated, but Ryan Belka and Ben McIntosh also return for the Dragons. With Deven Thomas graduated still around, and sophomore Nick Saputo, Drexel should be able to pick up extra possessions. Saputo is my breakout player to watch for Drexel in 2013.

Hopefully, the Drexel offense really steps up and Saputo can dominate on face offs, because defensively, the Dragons run into some issues. Mark Manos, their starting goalie is gone. Dana Wilbur is gone. Brian Teuber is gone. Out of the defensive starters, only Matt Dusek seems to be returning. Players like Tyler Houchins, Justin Hummel, and Chris Walsh have some experience and can step in, but Drexel may have a match up problem with certain teams, as a number of their defenders are slightly undersized.

For Drexel, the key in 2013 is starting off on the right foot. Last year’s early losses put the Dragons in a hole, and while they played better later in the year, it wasn’t enough to get them over the hump. The Dragons can rally around Glynn, and make 2013 their year, as long as their defense steps up and they find a capable goalie. It’s a big ask, but the potential is there for Drexel, so I don’t mind posing the question.

Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, Colgate, Cornell, Dartmouth, Denver, and Detroit!

Also check out Crosse Clicks: College Edition for links, videos, photos and more.