Dragons Win Thriller at Fairfield, 16-14

Saturday, April 14

Fairfield, Conn.

12 p.m.

Drexel University

5-6, 1-2CAA

Fairfield

4-9, 1-2CAA

DREXEL

Fairfield

4/14/2018 2:04:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Fairfield, Conn. – Drexel scored the final three goals of the game to pull out a thrilling 16-14 win at Fairfield. The Dragons (5-6, 1-2) led by four goals on two occasions before the Stags scored five straight goals in the fourth quarter to take the lead. Robert Frazee tied it with 4:11 to go and Reid Bowering scored what proved to be the game-winner with just under three minutes to go to give the Dragons their first CAA win of the season. Fairfield fell to 1-2 in the league and 4-9 overall.

With the Dragons down a goal with six minutes and Fairfield on the man-up, Drexel was able to kill a penalty and set up its offense. Matt Varian found Frazee, who rifled a left-handed rocket from the right side past Fairfield's Sean McKee to even the game at 14-14. Drexel got the ball back after another face-off win by Jimmeh Koita and at the 2:59 got the lead back. Bowering used one of his favorite moves to get to the top of the cage, where he went one-on-one with McKee and scored his third goal of the day. Drexel added an insurance goal when Nick Fox set up Cam Harris right in front. Harris spun and fired a shot into the right side of the net, putting the Dragons ahead, 16-14 with less than 90 ticks remaining on the clock.

Koita had a huge game for Drexel. The sophomore won a career-high 25 face offs and finished the day 25-for-32 on draws. He dominated the game, picking up a career-high 18 ground balls. Varian finished the contest with a goal and five assists. It was the third time this season he has had six or more points in a game. Bowering added two assists to go with his hat trick for five points. Fox set a personal high with three assists in the game. Chre Teitelbaum made nine saves in goal for Drexel. The Dragons were victorious despite committing 18 turnovers in the game.

The Stags Colin Burke finished with eight points. He scored three times and handed out five assists in the loss. Jack Brennan had three goals and an assist. The Stags, who came into the game eighth in the nation in man-up percentage, scored three times in five opportunities with the extra man.

Fairfield scored five straight to start the fourth quarter, two coming on the man-up, to take a 14-13 lead. It was the Stags first, and only, lead of the game. McKay Sheehan had a goal on the man-up at 14:35, converting on a Drexel penalty at the close of the third. Dylan Beckwith had his second of the game at the mark and, after another Drexel penalty, Taylor Strough netted his second of the contest, making it a one-goal game with 10:28 to play. Fairfield once again made Drexel pay for a turnover. Will Manganiello couldn't handle a pass and the Stags J.B. Smith got the ball and raced over midfield. He found Burke, who scored on the doorstep, which evened the score for the second time. Brendan Quinn capped the run at the 6:07 mark to give the Stags the lead.

Drexel struggled out of the locker room in the third quarter. The Dragons won four straight face-offs, but turned the ball over on each of those possessions. The turnovers led to three Fairfield goals. Quinn, Liam DaRos and Brennan scored as the Stags cut Drexel's lead to 9-8 with 9:01 to go in the third. Fairfield then won the ensuing face off and Burke came in from behind the net and beat Teitelbaum to even the game at 9-9. However, the Dragons dominated the last five minutes of the quarter, rattling off four straight goals. Manganiello started the run with 4:13 to go in the third. Sophomore Zach Manns then figured in the next two goals, scoring at the 3:19 mark, and setting up Marshal King with just 26 seconds to go in the quarter. On the next face off, the teams battled for it before Drexel's Matt Klinges picked up the loose ball. He raced towards the cage and with fired a shot from more than 20 yards away to give Drexel a 13-9 cushion with just 17 seconds left in the third.

The teams combined for eight goals in the second quarter, five by Drexel, as the Dragons took a 9-5 lead to intermission. Eight different players score the first eight goals for Drexel. Bowering was the only player to score two in the first half as his shot with 1:24 to go in the half deflected off a Stag and into the net. On the next face-off, Drexel won possession but turned it over, which led to an easy score from Beckwith who caught a feed from Burke and walked in alone for the goal. Drexel's Jimmeh Koita won 11 of the 16 face-offs in the first half. Four of the Stags' five face-off wins came due to violations.

Drexel jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the early going. The Dragons scored first for only the second time this season when Varian had an unassisted goal. Marshal King set up Nick Fox at the 9:05 mark to give Drexel a two-goal lead. Strough answered for Fairfield, but the Dragons bounced right back with the next two goals. Frazee and Manganiello scored just 1:15 apart to put Drexel ahead 4-1. Fairfield cut the lead to two on a Brennan extra-man goal after a third Drexel face-off violation to make it 4-2 after a quarter.

The Dragons return home on Saturday afternoon to host Hofstra. It will be Senior Day at Vidas Field as Drexel will honor its eight seniors prior to the game. Face-off is at 2 p.m.