The Towson men’s lacrosse team dominated Drexel Friday night on its home turf, winning 17-9. It felt like a close game from the start, when these teams traded strings of three goals, but the Tigers would rally off the final six goals of the game to secure the victory.
Drexel (4-6, 0-2 Colonial Athletic Association) had at least four turnovers each quarter while Towson (4-6, 1-1 CAA) outshot the Dragons by double-digits. The Tigers stayed consistently solid on defense, converting 17-18 clear attempts and coming away with 24 of the 44 possible ground ball opportunities.
It was the fourth quarter where Drexel fell apart, despite starting the quarter with a goal by junior midfielder Cam Harris to bring the Dragons within one. In the last 12 minutes of the game, Towson outscored Drexel 8-1 with Tiger Johnny Giuffreda scoring four of his game-high five goals during the run.
Towson also dominated the second quarter, outscoring the Dragons 5-1 in the period to build a lead. The run was keyed by midfielder Matt Sovero who found the back of the net three times in the quarter.
The win snapped the Tiger’s three-game losing skid which included two back-to-back losses against No. 3 Duke and No. 5 Denver.
Towson travels to Amherst Saturday to take on UMass while Drexel will take on Fairfield in Connecticut.
Fairfield scores game-winning goal in final minute
The Hofstra men’s lacrosse team hosted Fairfield on Friday night, falling 5-4.
It was a low-scoring affair characterized by a first quarter absent of any goals and only two scored in the first half all together.
The Hofstra (5-5, 1-1 CAA) offense finally found its footing in the third quarter, scoring three goals to enter the fourth quarter with a 4-2 lead. With their offense at a stand-still, Colin Burke stepped up for the Stags (4-8, 1-1 CAA) to erase the two-goal lead, scoring back-to-back goals to tie the game with 7:45 remaining.
The game remained tied until the final minute when Fairfield sophomore Travis Ford put the ball in the net for the winning goal with just 21 seconds left on the clock. Joe Rodrigues was credited with an assist on the goal.
The Pride would have one final chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but Stag goalie Max McGuire was able to make the save to preserve the win.
Even in the loss, Hofstra had less turnovers, more shots, more ground balls won and more successful clears than the Stags. However, their offense could not convert against a strong defensive stand from Fairfield throughout the game, and the Stags were able to score the goals when it mattered most.
Fairfield coach Andy Copelan called a crucial time out about a minute before the finalizing goal, guiding his team to victory. This win marks his 100th career triumph.
Fairfield will play Drexel at home next Saturday while Hofstra will take on Delaware on its home turf.
Justin Ekstrom can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JustinJEkstrom.
