Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
#20 Denver
Men's Lacrosse Upsets No. 20 Denver, 9-8
3/24/2009 11:38:20 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Drexel held off a furious Denver rally in the fourth quarter and defeated the 20th-ranked Pioneers, 9-8. The Dragons (4-4) led by as many as four goals before the Pioneers (5-4) rallied to tie it in the fourth quarter. Scott Perri, Joe Wojciechowski and Colin Ambler each had a pair of goals in the contest.
Wojciechowski's goal with 6:42 to play gave Drexel the lead for good. It broke a Drexel scoring drought that lasted almost 18 minutes. During that time, Denver rallied from a three-goal deficit to tie the game. The Dragons got some much needed insurance when Brian Neary scored with 2:22 to play. However, the Pioneers answered 22 seconds later when Mike Anderson scored to make it a 9-8 game. Denver had its chances to tie with three shots in the final minute including one that hit the post, but Drexel hung on for its first victory over a ranked team this season.
Denver's offense came alive in the second half after falling behind, 6-2, at the half. Charley Dickenson and Cliff Smith each scored early in the third to make it a 6-4 game. Colin Ambler tried to stop the momentum as he got on the board for a second time to up the Dragons' lead to three goals at the 9:37 mark. That would be the last goal the Dragons would score until midway through the fourth quarter. Ben Wahler and Gajic ended the third quarter with goals and Denver finally tied the contest in the early going of the fourth quarter. Dickenson found the net again, this time with 9:37 to play, as the Pioneers evened it up at 7-7.
The Dragons played a solid first half in their first trip to Colorado since 2006. Scott Perri started the scoring six minutes into the period with an unassisted goal. Less than a minute after Denver killed off a Drexel man-up situation, the Dragons scored an even strength goal by Greg Casey to make it 2-0. Denver got on the board when Alex Gajic finished off a feed from Dickenson to cut the lead to 2-1 with less than two minutes to play in the first. It was one of just three Pioneer shots in the period. Perri and Joe Wojciechowski scored a minute and a half apart in the early going of the second quarter to give the Dragons a 4-1 lead. Gajic answered to cut the lead to two, but Ambler scored at the halfway point of the period and freshman Kyle Bergman found the back of the net with less than a minute to play to give the Dragons a four-goal lead at intermission.
Drexel begins Colonial Athletic Association conference play on Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field. The Dragons will host Towson at 3 p.m. in a game that can be seen on the Comcast Network.
