Women's Lacrosse Earns CAA Playoff Berth with 8-5 Win Over Hofstra

Saturday, April 30

Vidas Field

4:00 p.m.

Drexel University

10-6, 3-3

Hofstra

3-13, 1-5

Hofstra

Drexel

Photo by: Ryan Samson

Women's Lacrosse Earns CAA Playoff Berth with 8-5 Win Over Hofstra

4/30/2016 6:04:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA – After a two-year absence, the Drexel women's lacrosse team will be returning to the Colonial Athletic Association Championships by virtue of an 8-5 victory over Hofstra on Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field. The Dragons held the ball for nearly all of the final 15 minutes as they were able to nurse a one-goal lead and score a pair of late empty-netters to seal the victory.

The Dragons earned the No. 4 seed with the victory, and will take on top-seeded James Madison at Vidas Field on Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Vidas Field. Drexel will be hosting the CAA tournament, with the semifinals on Friday beginning with Drexel's game and the championship game to take place on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.

The win ended a 22-game losing streak to the Pride for Drexel.

Drexel junior Lacey Aghazarian scored four goals to lead the way in the victory on Saturday, a career high total that left her with 22 on the season. She became the fourth Dragon this year with at least 20 goals, marking the first time since 2012 that Drexel has had four 20-goal scorers. Emily Duffey scored twice and added an assist on her Senior Day, and Nadia Pelham-Lacey netted a goal to go along with a pair of assists.

The two teams seesawed back and forth during the first half, with neither team leading by more than a goal at any point. Drexel's Emily Duffey, one of five seniors honored before the game during the Senior Day ceremony, got the scoring started off a feed from Nadia Pelham-Lacey just over five minute into the action. After the Pride responded, Lacey Aghazarian scored the first of her two first-half goals with 11:02 remaining in the opening period.

Just three goals were scored over the first 20 minutes of the game, but the teams combined for five more over the next 10 before halftime. Aghazarian added another, both of her scores unassisted, before Hofstra scored two in a row to take its only lead of the first half, 4-3 with 4:26 to play. Pelham-Lacey got on the board 2:21 later to even things up before halftime.

In the second half, Maggie Stetson netted her sixth goal of the year to give the Dragons a 5-4 lead just 85 seconds into the action. She was assisted by Duffey on the goal. Drexel won the ensuing draw and had several opportunities to widen the lead, but could not follow through as Hofstra eventually regained possession and scored with 17:05 to play.

Again, it did not take the Dragons long to answer. Less than two minutes later, Aghazarian scored her third of the day, putting Drexel ahead 6-5 and giving her just her second-career hat trick.

With 15:16 remaining on the clock, Summer O'Donnell won the draw control for Drexel and raced it up the right side into the offensive end. Once there, though, there was no rush to attack the net. The Dragons went into stall mode and successfully killed off nearly eight minutes, but as Drexel tried to continue flipping the ball around the outside, the Pride was finally able to force a turnover with 7:20 to play.

Hofstra was able to force the turnover it needed, but was unable to protect the ball itself. Just 20 seconds after the Dragons gave it away, Caroline Thiele forced a critical Hofstra turnover, picked the ball up and brought it back upfield for Drexel. The Dragons once again stalled for over a minute before Hofstra turned it over, but again Thiele cleaned up the mistake with her second caused turnover of the day, adding another ground ball with 5:32 to play that put Drexel back in control.

This time, the Dragons held the ball carefully until Hofstra pulled its goalie with 2:39 remaining. Thirty seconds later, Pelham-Lacey found Aghazarian with a wide-open net in front of her. The junior windmilled it home to create the first two-goal lead of the game for either side. Duffey won the ensuing draw and would score with 1:24 remaining, also on an empty net, to provide the final margin.

Just before halftime, Drexel senior draw control specialist Milan White won her 100th career draw, becoming just the sixth Dragon to reach that milestone. She added a pair of caused turnovers, as did senior Madeline DiBrino as that duo was among four Dragons to share the team lead on the afternoon.

Drexel's senior class was honored before what may have been their final game at Vidas Field, but they and the rest of the Dragons will return on Friday for the CAA semifinals. It will be the first CAA postseason game hosted by Drexel in the program's tenure in the league.