Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/8/22 – From Drexel Press Release
Jack Mulcahy (Downingtown East) scored four times and had a career-high nine points as Drexel rallied from a five-goal deficit to defeat Saint Joseph’s, 18-17, at Vidas Field on Tuesday afternoon. The Dragons picked up their third-straight win in their best offensive game of the season and improved to 3-2.
Mulcahy became the first Drexel player with nine points in a game in 12 years. Robert Church was the last to do so when he had 10 points in 2010 against St. John’s. Mulcahy was held off the board in the first quarter but scored or assisted on four of Drexel’s five second quarter goals. Drexel took advantage of 11 Saint Joseph’s (4-2) penalties by scoring six goals with the man up.
Sean Donnelly, who had a six-point night, found Ryan Genord, who ripped a shot past Tucker Almany with just 1:07 to play to give Drexel the lead and the win. The Dragons were able to hold off the Hawks over the final minute to get the unlikely victory.
Drexel didn’t have a lead until midway through the fourth quarter. Donnelly set up Mulcahy after a Saint Joseph’s penalty to put the Dragons ahead, 16-15. Aidan Coll (Hill School) added his second of the quarter a few minutes later to make it a two-goal game. The Hawks weren’t done, however, as William King got them back in the game in a hurry. King scored twice in a span of just 19 seconds to even the game with 2:47 to play.
The Dragons were 3-for-3 with the extra man in the third quarter when the Dragons tied the game for the first time since early in the first quarter. Sean Curcio and Donnelly had back-to-back man-up goals in the first 2:10 of the second half to even the game at 9-9. The Hawks answered with four of the next five goals to pull ahead, 13-10. Mulcahy and Austin Strazzulla swapped scores before Donnelly ended the third quarter scoring with his third of the game, all with the extra man, as Drexel trimmed the Hawks’ margin to two at 14-12.
Mulcahy scored four goals for the first time in his career. His five assists broke his previous career-high of four he had against Albany earlier this season. Donnelly’s six points were his season-high. Genord, Coll and Max Semple all scored twice. Drew McGill made nine stops in his first collegiate start.
Drexel defenseman Jack Farrell (Haverford High) had three groundballs and two caused turnovers.
King, Strazzulla and Mac McLaughlin (Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) each had hat tricks for the Hawks. Zach Cole (Lenape) continued his outstanding play, winning 27 of 36 face-offs. He also grabbed 19 ground balls. Almany made 12 saves in a losing cause in the cage.
The Hawks outshot Drexel, 49-44, and had 13 more ground balls. Saint Joseph’s committed 16 turnovers and was unable to capitalize on Drexel’s penalties. The Hawks had just one goal on six opportunities on the afternoon.
The teams swapped the first four goals of the game, with Drexel getting scores from Genord and Semple. Saint Joseph’s closed the quarter by scoring five straight goals, all coming in the final four minutes, to take a 7-2 advantage. Matt Bohmer had two unassisted goals in the last 1:22 of the quarter, his second with just five seconds remaining, as the Hawks had the momentum.
The Dragons offense got on track in the second quarter. Mulcahy set up Semple for his second goal of the game before getting his first of the night on the man-up. After a Teo Domic goal for the Hawks, Donnelly, Brennan Greenwald and Luke Stansfield (Penn Charter) scored in a span of just over two minutes to cut the lead to one. Saint Joseph’s stopped the run on a Strazzulla score with 33 ticks on the clock in the half.
