Offensive duo scores laxers a victory on Drexel Dragons

By TIM HYLAND
Collegian Sports Writer

With about 13 minutes left in the men's lacrosse game Sunday against the gutsy Drexel Dragons, Lion Coach Glenn Thiel needed somebody to make a big play. He had to look no further than his attack tandem of Greg Jackson and Erik Merkel.

"This is anyone's game unless you take charge -- attack," Thiel yelled from the sidelines at Jeffrey Field.

After Drexel narrowed the score to 14-12 on a goal by freshman attackman Craig Caputo, sending the Dragons' bench into a frenzy, Jackson scored a man-up goal on a turnaround jump shot from the left side.

It was one of Jackson's five goals on the day to go along with three assists, helping the Lions to an 18-13 victory. In Saturday's 18-4 triumph over Lafayette, he came up big with two goals and seven assists.

But the sophomore was willing to give credit to his partner Merkel, who racked up five goals, including two big ones in a row when Drexel rattled off four straight and narrowed the Lions' lead to two. The senior ripped the net six times against Lafayette.

"Merkel was the one who seemed to get a us goal when we really needed one," Jackson said. "He really came through."

Merkel recoginzes the importance he and his fellow attackmen have in the Lions' success this year.

"We sort of take it upon ourselves when we see we're starting to get down to keep the offense going," he said. "Our attack is one of the keys to our offense."

Jackson and Merkel led the Lions' offense all weekend. Merkel worked off picks set by Jackson, and Jackson scored on strong one-on-one drives to the cage. The pair has begun to work very well together this year, Thiel said, and their different styles make defending them tough.

"We play very well together," Merkel said. "This year we have really been trying to work together as a team."

Drexel Coach Randy Voigt found out how tough it can be to guard two players of Jackson and Merkel's caliber. Voigt said he just tried to keep his defensemen fresh, knowing there was no single way to shut them down.

"They put a lot of pressure on you," Voigt said. "If you do one thing against them, they're going to adjust to something else. They present a lot of problems."

If the Lions' hopes of reaching the NCAA tournament are to come true, Thiel knows he will need the pair to play as they have been.

"Without them, we are not the same team," he said. "They are a tough combination for a defense to handle."