Men's Lacrosse Defeats Hofstra to Win CAA Championship

Saturday, May 8

Hempstead, N.Y.

1 p.m.

Drexel University

10-2

Hofstra

8-6

Drexel

HOFSTRA

Men's Lacrosse Defeats Hofstra to Win CAA Championship

5/8/2021 3:50:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score Photo Gallery

Reid Bowering Named Most Outstanding Player

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Reid Bowering scored five goals as the Drexel men's lacrosse team won the Colonial Athletic Association Championship with a 15-11 win at Hofstra University on Saturday. The Dragons raced out to a big early lead and held on for their second CAA title and earned the league's automatic qualifier to the 2021 NCAA Lacrosse Championships that start next weekend.

Bowering was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. He scored seven goals and had an assist in the two games. Bowering was joined on the All-Tournament team by Ross Blumenthal, Sean Donnelly and Sean Quinn.

The Dragons raced out to a big early lead thanks to an eight-goal run that made it 10-1 midway through the second quarter. Hofstra tried to chip away at the Drexel lead but could not come within three goals the rest of the day.

The Dragons got on the board early when Bowering picked up a rebound from in close at the 13:08 mark of the first. Two minutes later, freshman Luke Tomak's right-handed shot put the Dragons up by a pair. Less than a minute later, the Pride cut the lead in half, when Ryan Tierney scored from the ground after taking a hit. That would be the Pride's last goal for span of more than 19 minutes.

Bowering scored the first two Drexel goals in the run as the graduate student had a hat trick less than nine minutes into the game. The Dragons offense exploded for three more goals before the quarter ended and led 7-1 after one. Aidan Coll had a pair of goals, while Ryan Genord added another.

Drexel sustained its momentum in the second quarter. Jack Mulcahy increased the lead to 8-1 before freshman McVicker scored a transition goal just 21 seconds later. That goal was set up by a great save at point-blank range by Ross Blumenthal to rob James Thilben. Blumenthal had perhaps his best half in a Drexel uniform during the opening 30 minutes. The junior made eight saves in the first half, many of the highlight-reel variety. Tomak found the cage again halfway through the second giving Drexel its biggest lead of the game. Tierney finally broke a Hofstra scoring drought of more than 19 minutes with an unassisted score with 6:02 to play in the half.

Hofstra scored four of the first five goals in the third as they trimmed the margin to five at 12-7. Justin Lynsky started the scoring and then Ryan Sheridan got hot. His first goal of the quarter made it 11-4. After an unsettled situation, Drexel's Sean Quinn raced down the field and fired home his second goal of the postseason. The defenseman now has three goals in his last three CAA Championship game. Sheridan answered with two more goals in the course of two minutes to cut Drexel's lead to five. Jack Mulcahy finally got the Dragons back on the board with 20 seconds to go, but the Pride scored six seconds later to make it 12-7. On the play, the Pride was awarded a two-minute man-up situation after a penalty on Patrick Udovich. Hofstra was able to score once on the man-up, as Sam Lufti's goal from right in front got the home fans back into the game.

Drexel allowed just one goal during the two-minute unreleasable penalty and still held a 12-8 lead. The Dragons scored two of the next three, both by Bowering, as the Drexel fans who made the trip could sense that something special was about to happen. Hofstra was able to score twice in the final five minutes to get within three, but with the Pride riding, Brennan Greewald found Coll, who put the exclamation point on the Dragons' ninth-straight win.

The Dragons, who played in the championship game a year ago, picked up the second CAA title in program history, both under head coach Brian Voelker, and the first since the 2014 team won right here at Shuart Stadium. Bowering's five goals tied a program tournament game record set by freshman Sean Donnelly just two days earlier. Tomak, another talented freshman, finished the day with a career-best three assists and five points. Coll had his second-straight hat trick, while Jack Mulcahy scored twice.

Freshman Brent McVicker had a team-best six ground balls. Quinn snagged five ground balls and forced a pair of turnovers. Blumenthal finished the day with 11 saves. Jimmeh Koita won 12 face-offs and added five ground balls. Drexel outshot Hofstra, 44-32, and double up the Pride in the first half (30-15), when it took control of the contest.

Sheridan led the Pride with three goals, while Tierney had two goals and two assists. The Pride won 15 of the 27 face-offs. Bobby Casey stopped nine shots in the cage.

The Dragons will find out their opening round opponent on Sunday night.