April 7, 2012
PHILADELPHIA - After trailing 7-3 in the third quarter, the No. 15/16 Penn State men's lacrosse team ended the game on a 7-2 run as it edged Drexel, 10-9, at Vidas Field on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions improved to 6-5 overall (2-1 CAA) and handed Drexel (5-6, 3-1 CAA) its first conference loss of the season.
Senior attackman Jack Forster (Jenkintown), who extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games, tied the game at 7-7 with his fourth marker in the waning seconds of the third. Junior midfielder Nick Dolik (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) gave Penn State an 8-7 lead early in the fourth before Drexel scored twice to take a 9-8 advantage. The Nittany Lions then responded with two strikes of their own.
Sophomore Shane Sturgis (Downingtown) tallied with 5:43 remaining before classmate Gavin Ahern(Rockville Centre, N.Y.) netted the game-winner with 2:45 left on the clock. Penn State, which scored at least 10 goals for the second straight game, overcame its first four-goal deficit since it trailed by five goals in an 11-10 overtime victory against Hofstra in 2010.
Penn State out shot Drexel, 36-32, and collected 22 ground balls to the Dragons' 21. The Nittany Lions went 1-for-2 on extra-man opportunities and finished 7-for-7 on clears. Sophomore goalkeeper Austin Kaut (Morton) made nine saves.
Penn State took a 1-0 first-quarter lead before Drexel ended the frame on a 3-1 run. Forster, who recorded his second straight four-goal game, opened the scoring at 3:20 when he connected on senior Matthew Mackrides' (Newtown Square) pass. The Dragons then tallied three straight goals, the first with 10:58 left, in a 3:19 span as they grabbed a 3-1 advantage.
With one minute remaining in the stanza, Mackrides, who registered his second straight hat trick, took a pass from freshman Pat Manley (Arnold, Md.) and rifled a shot to make it a 3-2 game.
In the second quarter, Brendan Glynn extended Drexel's lead to 4-2 just 44 seconds into the frame before Robert Church made it a 5-2 contest with 4:51 remaining. With 1:14 on the clock, Forster, who has tallied 18 goals during his recent streak, scored to make it 5-3.
The Dragons added a pair of goals in the first 4:43 of the third to extend their lead to 7-3, but the Nittany Lions responded with five straight makers. Forster tallied with 7:38 left in the third before Mackrides notched two straight goals to make it a 7-6 game. Forster added his fourth marker to tie the game at 7-7 with seven seconds remaining.
In the fourth, Dolik gave Penn State its first lead since it was a 1-0 game when he tallied just 1:12 into the stanza. Drexel responded with two goals, the last with 9:34 remaining, to take a 9-8 lead. Sturgis then scored with 5:43 left before Ahern tallied with 2:45 remaining to give Penn State the 10-9 lead.
Following Ahern's marker, Drexel controlled the ensuing faceoff and set up in its attacking area, but a turnover in the game's final minute sealed the Nittany Lion victory.
Penn State, which snapped its two-game skid against the Dragons, will conclude its two-game road trip on Saturday, April 14 when it visits Towson. Opening faceoff is set at 7:30 p.m.