Men's Lacrosse Grinds Out 13-12 Win Over Fairfield

Saturday, April 8

Vidas Field

4 p.m.

Drexel University

4-6, 1-1CAA

Fairfield

3-8, 0-2CAA

Fairfield

Drexel

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Men's Lacrosse Grinds Out 13-12 Win Over Fairfield

4/8/2017 6:13:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - In a tightly-contested game, the Drexel men's lacrosse team held the lead nearly the entire way and fended off Fairfield at Vidas Field on Saturday afternoon, 13-12. The Dragons (4-6, 1-1) took an early 2-0 lead and, after Fairfield tied things up early in the second quarter, Drexel used a 4-0 run to take control. Fairfield cut the Dragons' lead to one on multiple occasions, but could not find the equaling goal.

Reid Bowering led Drexel with four goals and an assist for five points. Joe Rainoldi also had a hat trick to help power the Dragons. Jimmy Joe Granito came up with 12 saves to hold the Stags at bay. Joe Rodrigues scored five times to lead Fairfield.

Cole Shafer scored the game's first goal just over four minutes into the action, finishing a pass from Marshal King. Less than a minute later, Zach Manns made it a 2-0 Drexel lead with his first collegiate goal.

The teams traded goals for the rest of the first quarter, with Robert Frazee, Joe Rainoldi and Reid Bowering putting up goals for Drexel to give the Dragons a 5-3 lead heading into the second quarter. Rodrigues scored with 12:44 to go before halftime to get the Stags within a goal, and Travis Ford evened things up for Fairfield just 13 seconds later.

Ford's goal would be the last for Fairfield for nearly 18 minutes of game time as the Dragons rattled off four straight to end the second and begin the third quarter. Bowering got it started with his second of the afternoon and 15th of the year. Rainoldi left Drexel on top 7-5 as the teams headed to the locker room, and the Dragons got scores from King and Rainoldi to open the third before Fairfield finally got back on the board with 9:32 to go in the third.

After Shafer netted an extra-man goal for the Dragons to give them a 10-6 lead, it was Fairfield's turn to go on a scoring run. The Stags got a goal from Rodrigues with 6:41 remaining in the third to pull back within three, and Dave Fleming followed 1:14 later to make it a two-goal game. Then, after winning the ensuing faceoff, the Stags got a longstick goal from JB Smith, his first of the year just 14 seconds after Fleming's goal. Fairfield was back within one, and it stayed that way for the remainder of the third.

Drexel opened the fourth quarter with a pair of much-needed goals. The first was notched by Will Manganiello, his eighth of the year to give the Dragons a bit of breathing room. Rainoldi scored less than a minute later to give the Dragons a 12-9 edge with 12:21 to go.

Rodrigues scored his fourth of the afternoon with 11:03 remaining to get Fairfield back within two, but Bowering found the back of the net just over three minutes later to push Drexel's lead back to three. That goal, Bowering's 17th of the year, would ultimately prove to be the game-winner as the Stags scored twice in the span of 1:13 to crawl back within one with 3:56 to play.

Fairfield had possession with a chance to tie and peppered Granito with four shots, but two went wide, one hit the post and Granito saved the fourth. Matt Klinges forced a turnover by Rodrigues with just over a minute to play, and the Dragons were about to hold onto the ball and run out the clock to preserve the victory.

Drexel will get back in action next Saturday when the Dragons head to Hofstra. That game will get underway at 7:00 p.m.