Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/20/14
From Press Release
Cole Shafer tied a career-high with five goals as Drexel broke open a close game with five goals in the third quarter and defeated Towson, 13-7, at Johnny Unitas Stadium. The win gave Drexel the number-two seed in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Championships, which begins on April 30. The Tigers fell to 8-5 overall and 2-3 in CAA play.
The Dragons scored five of the six goals scored in the third period as they increased their lead to 10-5. Nick Trizano opened the third quarter with a pair of goals, After Trizano’s second of the quarter, Nick Saputo won the face-off clean and set up Shafer’s fourth goal of the game nine seconds later, putting Drexel ahead, 8-5. Ben McIntosh added another before the Tigers broke the 4-0 run on a Ben McCarthy score. Shafer was at it again less than a minute after McCarthy’s goal, scoring after catching a pass from Ryan Belka.
Drexel’s lead extended to as many as seven early in the fourth period. Belka and Trizano each scored to put the game out of reach. The Tigers were able to answer with two goals to made it 12-7, but Hank Brown’s first of the year closed the scoring and gave Drexel its fifth road win of the year.
Towson cut Drexel’s lead to just a goal twice in the second quarter. Towson’s Greg Cuccinello scored five minutes into the second period. Drexel’s Belka answered with a low bounce shot that found its way past Tyler White, putting Drexel ahead 5-3, at the 5:32 mark. The Tigers made it 5-4 when Mabus scored his second unassisted goal with 2:38 left. The Tigers had the last possession but were unable to score at the end of the second. Drexel outshot the Tigers, 22-14, in the first half.
Towson opened the scoring early when Justin Mabus scored on an unassisted goal. The lead lasted less than two minutes as Drexel rattled off three goals in a span of 2:11. Trizano set up Jared Boudreau to tie the game. Shafer put the Dragons ahead with a nifty move, coming from behind the net and making multiple moves before beating the Towson keeper. It was the first of three first quarter goals for Shafer as the Dragons held a 4-2 lead after a quarter.
Shafer scored five times for the third time this season. The freshman now has 25 goals on the season, giving the Dragons three players with at least 25 this season. Belka had one of his best games of the season, scoring twice and setting up three others. Trizano had his second straight hat trick as Drexel’s offense became the first group to score more than 10 goals against the Tigers since Loyola did it in Febraury. Will Gabrielsen played well in the cage for the Dragons. The sophomore turned aside 11 shots. Drexel won the battle at the “x”, 15-9. Saputo was 15-for-23 and finished with a game-high 11 ground balls.
The Dragons outshot Towson, 41-32, and had 32 ground balls, to just 21 for the Tigers. Mabus led the Tigers with three goals. White made eight saves.
The Dragons conclude the regular season on Friday night at High Point. Drexel will open CAA postseason play on April 30 against either Towson or UMass.
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