The Drexel University women’s lacrosse team has played exceptionally well this season. With a record of 4-2, the team has been on a roll. They were sporting a three game win streak until a tough overtime loss against Rutgers University March 4.
March 11, the Dragons looked to get back on track with a win against Villanova University. The Wildcats were another tough team, but the Dragons have proved this year that they will not let tough teams intimidate them.
Villanova struck first just five minutes into the first half. The Dragons looked to retaliate quickly to halt all Wildcat momentum. Senior Lauren Gerrie scored her fifth goal of the season off a nice assist from senior Caroline Thiele.
The name of the game for the middle of the first half was defense. Both teams stopped potential goals. While Drexel struggled with turnovers, they compensated with goal stopping defense.
Eventually the turnover riddled first half caught up with Drexel. The Wildcats scored their second goal at the 17:59 mark to give Villanova a 2-1 lead. Drexel then needed a goal to keep the game in their reach.
They did themselves one better. They were able to net two goals to take a 3-2 lead. At the 16:19 mark, Lauren Gerrie scored her second goal of the game off another nice assist, this time from senior Devin Nihill.
About a minute later the Dragons got another goal from graduate student Lisa Rogers. Rogers’ eighth goal of the season gave the Dragons the lead. After gaining the lead Drexel never looked back.
Devin Nihill earned herself a goal at the 13:57 mark. Nihill’s 12th goal of the season gave the Dragons a 4-2 lead. The Wildcats retaliated a minute later with a goal to make the score 4-3.
Nearing the five-minute mark, the Dragons scored once more in the first half. Nihill scored her second goal of the game and 13th of the season to put the Dragons up by two heading into the second half.
It took Drexel less than five minutes to nab the first goal of the second half. Lisa Rogers scored her second goal of the game to put the Dragons up by three. Junior Nadia Pelham-Lacey scored her 17th goal of the season at the 20:37 mark. This goal gave the Dragons a solid 7-3 lead. This game was not over, however, as Villanova made a push to get back into it.
The Wildcats scored two unanswered goals between the 16 and 15-minute marks. At the 12:36 mark the Wildcats scored again to quickly close the Dragon lead to 7-6. Drexel was getting sloppy and could not stop the Villanova comeback until Nihill scored her third goal of the game.
Nihill’s score put the Dragons up 8-6, a lead which the Wildcats could not overcome. Villanova scored once more, but that was the end of their comeback effort.
The Dragons won this game by a final score of 8-7, a score that was much closer than it had to be. Even with the comeback scare this was a nice game for the Lady Dragons.
The Dragons were able to withstand a comeback attempt and win their fourth game of the season. Drexel now sits at 4-2 with its next game March 19 against Albany University in Albany. The team will look to start a new win streak and build upon their already impressive season.