Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/6/14
From Press Release
The Drexel women’s lacrosse team put together one of its strongest outings of the season just when it needed it most today. The Dragons started strong and got key contributions from their seniors in the final moments as they knocked off Towson, 9-8.
The win was the first Colonial Athletic Association victory of the season for Drexel, and just the third regular season CAA loss for the Tigers over the past four seasons. Drexel has now accounted for two of those three defeats.
Kelly Palace scored three goals and added an assist, her best outing since a five-point effort in the season opener against George Washington. She converted feeds from fellow senior and captain Amanda Norcini (Conestoga) three times, including the game-winning goal with 28 seconds remaining. Norcini matched her personal best with four points, all assists. Alissa Watts added three goals.
The victory snapped a four-game losing skid for the Dragons.
Drexel (5-7, 1-1) trailed for just 2:22 on the afternoon, recovering late after the Tigers scored four straight goals while holding Drexel scoreless for nearly 24 minutes across halftime. Palace and Norcini hooked up for the game-tying goal with 6:02 remaining, then forced two Towson turnovers to ensure the Dragons the opportunity to take regulation’s last shot. The duo then connected for the winner with just under 30 seconds to play. Palace attacked from the right side, beating Towson goalie Kelsea Donnelly low for the game-winner.
The game got off to a good start for Drexel, a key for the Dragons after allowing early runs to opponents in several of their recent games. Emily Duffey (Lenape) put Drexel on the board less than four minutes into the action, finishing a free position shot. Drexel was 2-for-4 on eight-meter chances on the day, and scored a third directly off a free position setup when Norcini fed Alissa Watts for a go-ahead goal with 18:46 remaining.
After CAA leading goal scorer Andi Raymond evened things up, it was the Dragons that went on an early run. Drexel scored four in a row from the 23:38 mark of the first half through the 16:17 mark, building a 5-1 lead. The Dragons’ offense during that stretch was well-balanced, with four different goal scorers and two different assisters. Milan White (Pottstown) beat Donnelly off a feed from Palace to start the run, followed by an unassisted Watts score, a free position goal by Joelle Hartke and the first of three connections between Norcini and Palace.
Delaware 8, Hofstra 7
Down, 5-2 at halftime, the Blue Hens opened the second half with seven straight goals en route to a win in Colonial Athletic Association action at James M. Shuart Stadium.
Sophomore Casey Lyons scored three of the first four goals of the second half for the Blue Hens, including one just 30 seconds coming out of the break.
With Lyons’ goal at the 14:18 mark, Delaware (9-4, 2-1 CAA) took the 6-5 advantage and never looked back in the win.
The Pride threatened late, logging two goals in the final 2:10 of the game, but the Blue Hens were able to hold on for their first road CAA win of the season.
Lyons finished the day with three goals, one assist and one groundball. Junior Caitlin McCartney (Archbishop Wood) added two goals, one assist, and a team-best three draw controls while sophomore Shannon Hawley captured two goals and one draw control.
Northwestern 7, Penn 2
Goalie Bridget Bianco (Moorestown) had eight saves and Kate Ivory (Episcopal Academy) made eight stops to lead the No. 6 Wildcats past the No. 12 Quakers.
Sarah Barcia opened the scoring in the game, depositing a Nina Corcoran pass just 2:16 in to give the Quakers (6-3) a 1-0 lead. That would be the only goal the Red and Blue would score in the first half and the only marker Penn would connect on for the next 33:21 of game action as the Quakers went cold on attack before Lely DeSimone scored her 16th of the season with 23:23 left in the game.
While Penn’s attack had trouble solving Blanco, Penn’s Lucy Ferguson was doing her part to keep the Quakers in striking range of the Wildcats. Ferguson recorded nine saves in the game, making four in the first half and five in the second.
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