Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/4/10
From Press Releases
Drexel freshman Robert Church had seven goals, including the game-winner with just 50 seconds remaining as the host Dragons scored the last four goals of the game to stun No. 8 Hofstra, 13-11 Saturday in a Colonial Athletic Association showdown before 1,011 at Vidas Field.
It was the second straight win over a team ranked in the top 10 for the 11th-ranked Dragons (8-2, 1-0 CAA), and the first time in school history that Drexel has beaten three teams ranked in the top 10 nationally in one season.
Drexel fell behind 11-9 when Hofstra’s (5-3, 0-2) Jamie Lincoln scored an unassisted goal from a tough angle over Mark Manos’ right shoulder with 10:15 to play. It was the third goal of the game for Lincoln, who entered the game as the nation’s leading scorer. Drexel started its comeback moments later when Colin Ambler (Abington) scored his second goal on a dodge from a tough angle and beat Hofstra‘s Rob Bellairs over his right shoulder.
The Dragons tied the game a little more than three minutes later when Kevin Stockel fired a shot from straight on about 15 yards to make it an 11-11 game. The score stayed the same and Hofstra had a chance to go ahead when Drexel’s Matt McCormick (Malvern Prep) was called for a cross check with 2:31 to play. The Pride got just one shot off during the extra-man opportunity. Jay Card fired a shot about 20 seconds into the man-up, but Manos (Salesianum School) made the save.
The Dragons then got the ball to Chris Farquhar, who ran it into the offensive zone and killed off the rest of the penalty. After a Drexel timeout, Stockel fed Church, who fired it low and to the left to give the Dragons a 12-11 lead.
Hofstra won the ensuing face-off and John Antoniades had a quick shot, but Manos came up with the save. The Dragons moved the ball into the offensive end and added a Ryan West insurance goal into an empty net with 13 seconds to play.
The game was closely contested the entire way and neither team held more than a two-goal lead. Drexel led 3-2 after the first period, but Hofstra tied it at 7-7 right before the half on a Jay Card man-up goal. Church had five of the seven Drexel goals in the half. The Pride held a two-goal lead on three occasions in the second half before the Dragons outscored them, 5-1, over the final 15 minutes.
Church’s seven goals were the most by a Drexel player since Brian Diener had seven against St. Joseph’s during the 1996 season. He now has 24 goals on the year and has scored four game-winners. West finished with a pair of goals and assists. Ambler had two goals, moving him into 14th on the all-time goals list at Drexel.
Lincoln had another outstanding day for the Pride. The junior had three goals and three assists to lead Hofstra’s offensive attack. Adrian Sorichetti added three goals and Stephen Bentz finished with three points. Manos and Bellairs each made eight saves in goal for their squads. Manos had four of his in the final period. The Pride outshot Drexel 34-28.
Drexel hosts Penn State for the first time ever at Vidas Field on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Nittany Lions are playing their first season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The game can be seen live on The Comcast Network.
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