Towson, Md. – The fourth-seeded Drexel women's lacrosse team scored five goals in the final five minutes of play and looked to regain the lead over top-seeded Towson, but the Tigers' goalkeeper Mary Teeters made a big save in the last 14 seconds of the game to hold off the Dragons, 12-11, in the CAA Championship semifinals. Drexel outshot top-seed Towson, 21-19, and won 16 draw controls to the Tigers' nine. The Dragons finished the 2012 season 11-6 overall and tallied the most conference wins with four in program history. Friday's game also marked the second post-season appearance for the Dragons.

In the opening 40 seconds of the game, Charlotte Wood shot the ball past Towson's goalkeeper Mary Teeters, but the goal was quickly called back by the officials due to a crease violation. The Tigers pushed down the field following the call and scored an unassisted goal to give Towson an early lead. At 27:08, Jaclyn Klunder cut through the middle and shot the ball in the top left of the cage from Kelli Joran's pass to tie the game, 1-1.

Towson's Sarah Appelt fired the ball high, but the Tigers regained the loose ball and gained a 2-1 lead over the Dragons. Towson's Sarah Hogan scored a free position goal. Kristin Kopenhaver won the draw and then shot the ball through the goalkeeper's legs cutting the deficit to one, 3-2. Kelli Joran tied the game, 3-3, after Charlotte Wood fed her the ball from behind the cage.

At 17:10, Santandrea stopped a bouncing shot allowing the Dragons to work the ball down the attacking end. Following a Drexel turnover, Towson sprinted down field, but was unable to capitalize on the fast break. At 13:33, Maiden and Joran had a great give-and-go play, but Joran's shot was stopped by Teeters. 

With just under 11 minutes to play in the first half, Towson's Andi Raymond scored an unassisted goal to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead. At 5:59, Ashley Waldron received the ball in the middle from teammate Andi Raymond. Waldron shot the ball past the left side of Santandrea extending the lead to two, 5-3. With 16 second remaining in the first half, Santandrea stopped Waldron's free position shot.

In the opening two minutes of the second half, Towson's Sarah Appelt shot the ball into the top left corner of the cage, 6-3. At 25:55, Alyse Maiden scored an unassisted goal to cut Towson's lead to 6-4. Less than three minutes later, the Tiger's Andi Raymond scored from Kelly Custer's pass. Towson's Olivia Turner doubled the lead, 8-4, from Raymond's pass. The Dragons had a multiple shots on goal, but were blocked by Teeters. Towson went on to score two more goals.

At 12:18, Charlotte Wood scored a free position goal closing the gap to five, 10-5. At 9:57, Drexel's Julia Lanzetta knocked the ball out of Appelt's stick during her free position attempt, but Towson recovered the ball and tallied a goal, 11-5. A minute later, Lindsey Kovar broke through the Tigers' defenders and fired the ball into the cage. With just over six minutes remaining, Towson's Rhiannon Coogle scored an unassisted goal.
 
Kristin Kopenhaver answered back with an unassisted goal, 12-7. At 3:41, Alyse Maiden shot the ball past Teeter's. Following the draw, Charlotte Wood knocked in another goal for the Dragons closing the gap to three, 12-9. Kelli Joran pulled around Towson's defender and shot the ball to the top right of the cage.

The Dragons played tight defense and was able to regain possession breaking up a Towson play. At 1:33, Wood scored an unassisted goal, 12-11. Kristin Kopenhaver causes a turnover with 22 seconds left and passed the ball down field to Charlotte Wood. Wood fed the ball to Kelli Joran, but Joran's shot in the last 14 seconds was stopped by Teeters. Towson held possession until the game clock expired.

Occoquan, Va. – The Drexel women's crew team placed fourth overall at the 2012 CAA Championships held on Sunday. The women's second varsity eight boat won a silver medal, while the women's varsity eight crossed the finish line fifth and the women's varsity four seventh. Elizabeth Bratton and Julia Jackson were named to the All-CAA team. The award marks Bratton's second straight honor by the league.  
 
The women's second varsity eight captured second place with a time of 7:06.8 behind Northeastern. The Huskies took first place with a time of 7:01.4. The Maria Papadakis boat consisted of coxswain Kerry Walsh, stroke Jackie Bender, Asiya Mahmud, Juliana DeMarici, Samantha Cowan, Amanda O'Malley Alyssa Leahy, Elizabeth Campanella and bow Colleen Delaney.
 
Total Points
1st - Northeastern – 39
2nd - Boston University – 34
3rd - Buffalo – 30
4th - Drexel – 22
5th - Old Dominion – 21
6th - Delaware – 15
7th – George Mason – 7

Women's Varsity Eight
1. Northeastern - 6:41.8
2. Boston - 6:48.8
3. Buffalo - 6:51.3
4. Old Dominion - 6:55.1
5. Drexel - 6:57.3
6. Delaware - 7:05.8
7. Mason - 7:06.6

Women's Second Varsity Eight
1. Northeastern - 7:01.4
2. Drexel - 7:06.8
3. Boston - 7:08.6
4. Buffalo - 7:14.0
5. Delaware - 7:22.3
6. Old Dominion - 7:26.9
7. Mason - 7:31.2

Women's Varsity Four
1. Buffalo - 7:47.5
2. Boston - 7:47.6
3. Old Dominion - 7:51.3
4. Northeastern - 8:01.5
5. Delaware - 8:03.5
6. Mason - 8:15.7
7. Drexel - 8:24.4
  
All-Conference Team
Rachel Conway – Delaware
Julia Jackson – Drexel
Elizabeth Bratton – Drexel
Meaghan Pardy – ODU
Laura Laurel Bransfield – ODU
Allison Sheehan – Buffalo
Rosa Kemp – Buffalo
Kayla Rivers – Boston
Cheryl Copson – Boston
Lynn Ratte – Boston
Greta Haselman – Northeastern
Clare Samuelson – Northeastern
Sarah Giancolo – Northeastern
Luisa Maldonado – Northeastern
 
Coach of the Year – Joe Wilhelm, Northeastern

PHILADELPHIA - In its home finale for the 2012 season, the Drexel softball team fell short against George Mason on Sunday afternoon, falling to the Patriots, 13-4. Paige Collings hit a two-run home run that gave the team a brief 4-3 lead, but the Dragons could not hold on as they dropped two of three to Mason over the weekend.

Mason got on the board first, scoring twice in the second inning. The Dragons knotted things up in the bottom half, however. Jenn Reading walked to lead the frame off. Senior Elena Fravel then put down a perfect bunt, placed right between the third baseman and shortstop for a single. After senior Hillary Allen put down a sacrifice bunt, Amanda Bachmann lined out to center field, allowing Reading to come home. Then senior Caprice DeMirjian chopped a ball right in front of the plate. The Mason catcher tried to throw her out at first, but DeMirjian just beat the throw. Then, trying to get Fravel as she came around third, the Mason first baseman Katie Rynex threw the ball away, allowing Fravel to score and DeMirjian to move around to third base. Although Comfort Ahonkhai reached on a bunt single, DeMirjian was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the delayed squeeze play.

George Mason came right back with a run in the third, but Drexel took its first lead in the bottom of the third. With one out, senior Devon Metcalf rolled an infield single to the hole between shortstop and third base. Up stepped the senior Collings, who came into the game already the team's all-time leader in home runs and runs batted in. She showed why against the Mason starer Miranda Cranford, launching her eighth home run of the year and 28th of her career well over the fence in left. The blast gave her 41 runs batted in on the year, leaving her alone atop the Drexel record list for RBIs in a season. She also is now just one home run shy of her own school record of nine in a season.

Drexel's 4-3 lead would prove to be short-lived. The Patriots put up five runs in the fourth inning, capped by a two-run home run by Rachael Davies. They added another five runs in the fifth inning, this time punctuated by a three-run shot off the bat of Emily Lafferty. Leading 13-4, the Patriots set the Dragons down in the fifth inning to earn the run-rule victory.

Prior to the game, the Dragons honored their five seniors in a pregame Senior Day ceremony. Hillary Allen, Paige Collings, Caprice DeMirjian, Elena Fravel and Devon Metcalf all suited up for their final home games as Dragons on Sunday. They were all in the starting lineup.

PHILADELPHIA - Shelby Taylor pitched 11.2 strong innings for the Drexel softball team, as they split a doubleheader with George Mason on Saturday, dropping the first game 5-3 before winning the second, 4-3. Taylor came in for the final 4.2 innings of the first game, holding the Patriots scoreless over that stretch, before pitching a complete game in the second. Maddison Timoteo homered and went 3-for-3 in the second game, as Paige Collings also drove in two runs to help Drexel get an important victory.

The Dragons (21-23, 6-10) are now just 1.5 games behind Towson for the fourth and final CAA Tournament berth with four conference games remaining. The Tigers were swept in a doubleheader against Hofstra on Saturday.

George Mason jumped all over the Dragons early in the first game, scoring a run in the first inning after Hillary Allen retired the first two hitters, then scoring four in the second. Tori Dudley's three-run home run to center field was the big blow, as the Patriots took a 5-0 lead.

The Dragons began to get back in the game in the bottom of that inning. Jenn Reading lined a single to right, followed by a ground ball to first by Timoteo. Mason's first baseman, Katie Rynex, threw to second trying to get the lead runner, but the throw went wide as Reading was safe on the error and Timoteo reached on the fielder's choice. Allen lined a single up the middle to load the bases, and Amanda Bachmann drove in a run with a base hit of her own back up the middle. Caprice DeMirjian then plated Sylvia Llamas, who had run for Timoteo, with a sacrifice fly to center field.

Drexel scored another unearned run in the third. With Collings on second, Taylor hit a grounder between first and second that forced second baseman Brooke Blankenship to her left. She bobbled the ball as Taylor reached safely, then tried to throw Taylor out at first anyway, throwing the ball away. That allowed Collings to come around and score, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

After a 1-2-3 fourth inning, the Dragons got runners on in each of the final three frames, but could not push across any more runs as George Mason held on for the win.

In the second game, the Patriots once again took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. In the bottom of the inning, however, Timoteo stepped up and launched her sixth home run of the season, deep over the left field fence.

That was not the end of the inning for the Dragons. They would eventually load the bases with two outs and Devon Metcalf at the plate. Casey Herring, who started for the Patriots, then uncorked a wild pitch. DeMirjian, who was on third, scampered home with the Dragons' second run. Then, after Metcalf walked, Collings roped one down the left field line into the corner. Comfort Ahonkhai and Hanna Parrish came around to score on Collings' double, which gave her 39 runs batted in this season, a total which ties the school's all-time single season mark.

Taylor ran into a bit of trouble in the third inning, when Blankenship walked and Emily Lafferty singled to get the inning started. Both came home to score on an RBI single by Megan Blank, but Taylor shut the door from there. The Patriots scratched out three more hits, but could not even the score as the Dragons held on, 4-3.

Drexel and the Patriots will conclude their three-game series on Sunday with Senior Day for Drexel. The Dragons' five seniors will be honored in a pregame ceremony set to begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch. As a result, fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 10:45 a.m.

Philadelphia – Drexel scored the last three goals of the game to erase a two-goal fourth quarter deficit and defeated St. John's, 10-9, in a non-conference game at Vidas Field. Robert Church scored three goals and had three assists as the Dragons evened their record at 7-7.

Drexel fell behind 9-7 in the fourth quarter after squandering a three-goal lead early in the game. St. John's Ryan Fitzgerald broke the 7-7 tie with an extra-man goal with 10:31 to play in the game. The Red Storm won the face-off and increased its lead when Terrence Leach set up Harry Kutner for his fourth score of the contest at the 9:58 mark. The Dragons responded right away as senior Kyle Bergman, playing in his final home game, scored an unassisted goal with 9:01 left to play. The Dragons wasted little time and tied the game less than a minute later with an Aaron Prosser goal. Drexel won the ensuing face-off, and in the scramble for the loose ball in the Red Storm's end, Church came up with the ball and set up Brendan Glynn, who went in one on one with St. John's goalkeeper Jeff Lowman. Glynn took advantage of the opportunity and scored what proved to be the game winner with 7:54 left in the game. It was Glynn's 20^th goal of the season. The Red Storm would have its opportunities in the final seven minutes, but Mark Manos came up with three saves down the stretch. Drexel's defense also came up big as Dana Wilber forced a turnover with under two minutes to play and Matt Dusek picked up the ground ball to gain possession. The Dragons then played keep away in the final minute, aided by a St. John's penalty with 33 seconds left.

St. John's (7-6) trailed 7-5 midway through the third period after a pair of Church goals broke a 5-5 tie. The junior put Drexel ahead at the 9:26 mark of the quarter when he fired home a shot after a feed from Ben McIntosh. Just 47 seconds later, Church scored his 24^th of the season. The Red Storm answered back with four straight goals, two in the third and two more to start the fourth quarters. Ryan Fitzgerald started the Red Storm rally with the first of his two goals. In the final minute of the quarter, Kevin Cernuto tied in with an unassisted goal.

The Dragons played an inspired first quarter and opened up a 4-1 lead. Bergman, Glynn, McIntosh and Church scored for the Dragons, while Cernuto had the only Red Storm tally. Drexel had 12 of its 32 shots in the first quarter and forced five Red Storm turnovers. The second quarter went the other way as St. John's controlled play and outshot Drexel, 10-3. Kutner scored two goals in the second period as the Red Storm cut the deficit to 4-3. Kieran McArdle opened the third quarter with a goal just 18 seconds in as St. John's capitalized on a man-up opportunity to tie it at 4-4. Drexel's Andrew Vivian and Kutner exchanged goals to make it 5-5 before Church scored back-to-back goals.

The Red Storm outshot Drexel, 35-32, and had three more ground balls than the Dragons. Each team committed 13 turnovers. Manos made 13 saves in his final home game for Drexel. Lowman had 12 saves, including six in the third quarter. Deven Thomas won 10 of 17 face-offs for the Dragons and had a team-high six ground balls.

The game marked the final home appearance for seniors Bergman, Drew Collins, Max Crockett, Chris Farquhar, Manos, Kevin Stockel, Brian Teuber, Frank Tufano, and Wilber.

The Dragons open the Colonial Athletic Association Championships on Wednesday night. Drexel will play at Penn State in the CAA semifinals. The winner will face UMass or Towson for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel men's lacrosse team fell to No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday at Vidas Field, 6-5. The Dragons (1-3) had the ball and a man-up opportunity with just over a minute to play in the fourth quarter, but could not get off a shot as an intense, rugged defensive game closed with Notre Dame swarming the Drexel offense as it closed in on the net. Aaron Prosser scored twice for Drexel, which took an early 2-0 lead.

The Dragons led 2-1 at the half before a four-goal third quarter by the Irish (2-1) gave Notre Dame control of the game. Drexel would knot the game at five momentarily in the fourth quarter, but could not take another lead.

Drexel lit up the scoreboard first less than two minutes into the game. Playing a man up thanks to a one-minute slashing penalty by Notre Dame's Conor Doyle, Drexel methodically worked the ball around the cage to open the man-up opportunity before Brendan Glynn found  Ben McIntosh in front to rip in the game's first score. It was the first of two assists for Glynn on the day, and the second goal of the season for McIntosh.

Deven Thomas had a good start to the day in the faceoff circle, going up against Notre Dame's Liam O'Connor, one of the better faceoff men in the country. Thomas wound up winning nine of 15 faceoffs on the afternoon, including the first two of the day. The second, following McIntosh's goal, would eventually lead to the Dragons taking a 2-0 lead with 7:00 to play in the first quarter, when Ryan Belka served up Clifton Simeon for his first goal of the season.

Notre Dame would notch the only goal of the second quarter, getting on the board with 12:23 to play in the first half. The teams could not get anything to find the back of the net the rest of the half.

The Irish put together the only scoring flurry of the afternoon in the third quarter, when they scored three straight goals to start the period and take a 4-2 lead. Prosser got Drexel back on the board with 3:33 to go in the third, pulling Drexel back within a goal as Kevin Stockel fed him out front.

After Tyler Kimball put Notre Dame back up by two late in the third, Drexel opened the fourth quarter with two goals to even the score at five. Prosser got the first of those goals with 13:09 to play in the fourth, his second of the day off Brendan Glynn's second assist. Minutes later, Robert Church evened things up off a feed from behind the net by Kyle Bergman.

Less than ninety seconds later, Notre Dame regained the lead when Sean Rogers fired just over Drexel goalie Mark Manos' shoulder, hitting the post and getting a fortunate bounce into the net. The Dragons had several breaks go against them on Saturday afternoon, as they hit three posts on their offensive end only to see the deciding goal hit a post and bounce the Irish's way late.

Manos finished with five saves, including several point-blank, impressive stops in holding Notre Dame to just one score in the first half.

Thomas won control back for Drexel after the Dragons fell behind, and with just over a minute to play, Drexel went up a man when Devon Dobson was called for pushing, a 30-second penalty. They worked the ball around, but despite the extra man could not find an opening in the stingy Notre Dame defense. With the penalty over and time winding down, Drexel forced the action in close to the net, but lost control of the ball as the Irish scooped it up and preserved the victory.

The Dragons will return to the field on Tuesday, when they visit crosstown rival Saint Joseph's at 4:00 p.m.

Binghamton, N.Y. – Drexel qualified three for the NCAA tournament with two second-place finishes, a third-place and a fourth-place finish at the CAA championships hosted this year by Binghamton. Junior Joe Booth finished third at 165 while sophomore Brandon Palik, 197, and senior Kyle Frey, heavy weight, both finished second. Austin Sommer, 157 pounds, finished 2-2 on the day to claim fourth place.

Drexel advanced six wrestlers through the first round as senior Alex Rinaldi, 174 pounds, junior Frank Cimato, 141 pounds, and Sommer all picked up wins. Cimato, the No. 2 seed, picked up a 10-4 decision over Vinny Fava of Rider before being narrowly edged 6-5 by Old Dominion's Justin LaValle. Shane Fenningham, 149 pounds, dropped his first match but picked up a win in the consolation bracket with a 7-4 decision over Kevin Timothy of George Mason.

Sommer picked up his team-leading sixth win by fall when he pinned Ramon Santiago of Rider at 4:30 in the second period. The third-seeded sophomore then dropped a match to John Nicholson of Old Dominion before advancing to the third-place match due to a medical forfeit. Sommer finished fourth after Santiago used a 10-5 decision to take third.

Booth went 3-1 on the day losing only a 3-1 decision to Tristan Warner of Old Dominion. The No. 1 seeded junior outscored his opponents 22-10 on his way to a third-place finish and his third straight NCAA qualification. Rinaldi went 1-2 on the day at 174 pounds upsetting the No. 4 seeded Caleb Wallace of Binghamton to advance in the championship bracket.

Palik, seeded third at 197, rattled off two straight beating Rider's Donald McNeil 3-1 and upsetting Boston's No. 2 seed John Hall 8-1. Palik faced the No. 1 seeded Bagna Tovuujav of George Mason in the championship match and fell 3-1 to take runner-up.

Frey, the No.1 seed at heavy weight, also picked up a second-place finish to seal one of four bids for the NCAA tournament. In three tightly contested matches Frey picked up two straight with a 3-2 decision over Matt Tourdot of Old Dominion and a 2-1 decision over No. 4 Paul Snyder of Hofstra. In the championship match Frey and Nick Gwiazdowski of Binghamton grappled to a 3-1 final in favor of the host Bearcat.

The NCAA Championships take place on March 15 through 17 held this year in St. Louis, Mo.

Make sure to follow @DrexelDragons and @DrexelWrestling on Twitter for up to date results.

Hamilton, N.Y. – The Drexel women's lacrosse team scored eight unanswered goals in the second half to earn the program's first victory over the Colgate Raiders, 12-6, on Saturday afternoon at Tyler's Field. The Dragons had 24 shots to Colgate's 16 and held a 13-6 advantage in draw controls. Senior attacker Charlotte Wood led the team with five goals and helped the Dragons overcome a 4-4 tie at half. The win ended Drexel's two-game losing streak and improved its overall record to 3-2, while the Raiders dropped to 0-4 on the season.

Drexel's Lindsey Kovar set a new season-high with three assists and six points. She also tied her season-best with three goals and two caused turnovers. Kovar went 2-4 in free position attempts.

Colgate's Alison Flood took advantage of an early Drexel foul and scored a free position goal to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead with just under three minutes into the contest. At 16:01, Monica White scored off a pass from teammate Amanda O'Sullivan to extend the lead to two, 2-0. Drexel's Kristin Kopenhaver won the following draw control and advanced down the field causing two Colgate fouls. Lindsey Kovar scored an unassisted goal cutting the lead in half, 2-1. The Raiders' Courtney Miller scored two minutes later, but Kovar answered back with a free positiong goal, 3-2.

With 10:27 remaining in the first half, Charlotte Wood tied the game from Kovar's pass, 3-3. Kovar looked to score a free position goal, but hit the post. Colgate put pressure on the Dragons' attack and recovered the ball. The Raiders' Courtney Miller followed with a successful free position attempt to take back the lead, 4-3. Kovar found Wood again for quick goal before the first half expired, 4-4.

The Dragons opened up the second half with eight unanswered goals to hold off the Raiders until the clock expired. Sophomore Amanda Norcini started the rally after scoring a free position goal. During Drexel's eight-goal run, Wood had three back-to-back goals in the second half and finished with five on the day. Sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Santandrea recorded the win. She made four saves and now has 22 overall. Santandrea also set a new season-high with three ground balls.

The Drexel women's lacrosse team returns to action on Wednesday, March 7 at 4:00 p.m. on the Dragon's home turf at Vidas Field.

Philadelphia – With just three games into the 2012 season, the Drexel women's lacrosse team falls to Hofstra, 15-9, in an early conference match-up held at Vidas Field on Thursday night. The Pride held a slim 27-24 advantage in shots, but their 10 second-half goals was enough to secure the win. Drexel's Alyse Maiden tied her season-high with four goals and six total points. Drexel dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Hofstra's Jill Maier won the opening draw control and powered down the field. She scored an unassisted goal with just under a minute into the first half. The Pride went on a four-goal rally, but Drexel's Kristin Kopenhaver won the next draw control and looked to score the Dragon's first goal, but hit the post. Alyse Maiden finished the play with an unassisted goal. With 15:21 remaining in the first, Maiden followed with a free position goal to bring the game to two, 4-2.

Following a Hofstra clear, Brittain Altomare scored from teammate Maryann Miller's pass. Drexel continued to pressure on the Pride. With four seconds left in the first half, junior midfielder Kelli Joran scored off of a pass from Charlotte Wood. The visiting Pride led by two, 5-3, at half.

Maiden opened up the second half with her second free position goal to bring the game within one, 5-4. Hofstra's had back-to-back goals to extend the lead to three. Charlotte Wood received a pass from Maiden for a quick goal, 7-5. The Dragons were unable to pull ahead despite putting six points on the board in the second half. Hofstra's three-goal spurt in the final five minutes of play helped the Pride edge Drexel, 15-9.

Sophomore goalkeeper Amanda Santandrea made a pair of saves in the opening 27:17 of the game. Freshman Teresha Bradley set a new season-high with four saves. Bradley now has 10 saves on the season. Hofstra's Jaclyn Pandolf made seven saves for the win.

The Drexel women's lacrosse team returns to action on Saturday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m. against Colgate. This marks the first away game of the 2012 season.