Towson Edges Drexel in the CAA Semifinal, 8-7

Friday, May 3

Towson, Md.

1:00

Drexel University

11-7

Towson

9-8

Drexel

Towson

Photo by: Daniel Rudloff

Towson Edges Drexel in the CAA Semifinal, 8-7

5/3/2013 3:06:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

Towson, Md. – The Drexel women's lacrosse team displayed its best defensive effort on the year in the semifinals of the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association Championship against top-seed and host Towson. The Dragons set the tone early taking a 2-0 lead at the start of the first half. The Dragons trailed by one-goal at half, 5-4, and went on to regain the lead with less than 10 minutes remaining in the contest. With 2:47 showing on the clock, Towson's Olivia Turner scored the game-winning goal to edge the Dragons, 8-7, on Friday afternoon at Towson Soccer Complex. Drexel concluded the season 11-7 overall, including its third-straight post season appearance.

Drexel's aggressive play limited a number of the Tigers' look towards goal. Both teams remained scoreless in the opening eight minutes of the game until Alyse Maiden earned a free-position attempt. Instead of taking the initial shot, Maiden passed the ball back to Norcini at the top of the eight-meter, who crashed towards cage before making a back-handed shot to give Drexel a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, sophomore goalkeeper Teresha Bradley blocked Towson's Rhiannon Coogle's free-position shot to keep the Tigers off of the scoreboard.

At the 17th-minute mark, Alyse Maiden beat Towson's defender and fired the ball just below the crossbar to give Drexel a two-goal lead. Four minutes later, Jackie LaMonica cut across the eight before placing the ball into the far right corner of the goal giving Towson its first point of the day. LaMonica followed with another goal in the next possession to even the score, 2-2. Towson went on to score two-more and held a 4-2 advantage over the Dragons. With less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Maiden fed the ball to teammate Jessica Rudloff. Rudloff used her height to put the ball over opposing goalkeeper Kelsea Donnelly. In the final 30 seconds of play, the Tigers' Olivia Turner netted a quick-stick goal to bring the game within two-points. Sophomore Joelle Hartke answered back in the following play. Drexel trailed 5-4 at the end of the first half.

With just three minutes into the second half, senior Kristin Kopenhaver skipped the ball into the cage to tie the game, 5-5, off of a pass by Maiden. At 23:08, Alissa Watts earned a free-position opportunity. Watts made a quick pass to Joran, who faked a shot before hitting the low corner of the cage to give Drexel its second lead of the afternoon. In the 20th minute, Towson's Laura Zinkand evened the score at six. Amanda Norcini had a free-position goal with 9:52 to go in the second half. With 2:58 remaining in the game, the Tigers went on a fast-break and worked the ball around the attacking end until Jackie LaMonica shot the ball into the upper left of the goal. Less than a minute later, Olivia Turner recorded the game-winner giving the Tigers an 8-7 victory.

Norcini led the team with two goals along with scores by Maiden, Joran, Kopenhaver, Rudloff and Hartke. Joran won the most draw controls on the day with four, while Norcini tallied three wins. Defensively, the Dragons caused nine turnovers. Senior Emily Bauer had the most with two caused turnovers. Joran, Watts, Kopenhaver, Caroline Dodds and Jocelyn Quaile caused Towson turnovers. Bradley had six stops on the day combing for 112 on the season. Towson's Jackie LaMonica had four goals, while goalkeeper Kelsea Donnelly made five saves for the Tigers.

Friday's game marked the last contest for graduating seniors Alyse Maiden, Kelli Joran, Kaitlin Harris, Kristin Kopenhaver, Jessica Rudloff and Emily Bauer. Joran had a team-high 37 goals and second in draw controls with 53 on the year. The Downingtown, Pa. native also ranks among the all-time leaders earning the 10th spot with 101 goals and 12th all-time with 122 career points. Maiden had the most assists with 22 and points with 56. She finished her career third on Drexel's all-time leaderboard with 59 assists, tied for fourth with 181 total points and seventh with 119 goals. Kopenhaver dominated in draw controls recording 54 wins on the season.

Together, the Dragons had a number of standout performances. The 2013 squad earned their first win over No. 11 Penn, 11-8, since 1993 and only the second time in program history. Drexel started the season with a five-game winning streak, which marked the best start since 2006. The Dragons' win against Villanova was the fifth consecutive victory over a Philadelphia-area school dating back to last year's win at La Salle. On March 4, Drexel ranked 18th in the national deBeer Women's Media Poll. It was the first time under Anna Marie Vesco that the team has been ranked nationally. The Dragons also received votes in the IWLCA Coaches Poll. The team also tied the program record with four conference wins, which was set just last year.