Allison Drake's Overtime Winner Secures Drexel's First CAA Women's Lacrosse Title
Miles McQuiggan
Championship Central
PHILADELPHIA (May 8, 2022) – Drexel junior
Allison Drake scored the game-winner 47 seconds into overtime to capture the Dragons’ first Colonial Athletic Association Women’s Lacrosse Championship with an 11-10 victory on Sunday at Vidas Field.
A cutting Drake received a pass from
Colleen Grady and found herself one-on-one with the Towson goalie to score the championship-winning goal and send Drexel back to the NCAA Tournament for the second-consecutive year after the Dragons were an at-large selection in 2021.
Lucy Schneidereith was named CAA Championship Most Outstanding Player with a four-goal performance in the title game, while Drake,
Zoe Bennett, and
Hayleigh Simpson joined Schneidereith as Drexel selections on the all-tournament team.
A
Karson Harris goal sparked a 4-0 start for Drexel in the game’s first 5:22, as her eight-meter goal was followed by tallies from Simpson and Schneidereith.
Towson would get on the board with 8:06 to play in the first quarter on a
Blair Pearre goal and add two more from
Kerri Liucci to get back within one at 4-3 with 5:46 remaining in the opening frame. Schneidereith would respond to push the Drexel advantage back to two at 5-3 to close the quarter.
Drexel would score the first two goals of the second quarter with Harris and Simpson helping the Dragons open a 7-3 lead. Drake added another on an eight-meter from Drake to extend the lead to five.
Lindsay Clarke snapped the Towson run with a free-position goal to get back within 8-4, which proved to be the halftime margin, before the Tigers scored the first two goals of the second half to cut the deficit to 8-6. Grady collected Drexel’s first goal of the second half to make it 9-6 before
Halley Koras scored her second and third goals of the day to get Towson to within 9-8.
Drexel doubled its lead with 6.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter, as Grady found Schneidereith for her fourth of the day to give the Dragons a 10-8 lead through 45 minutes.
Milana Zizakovic brought Towson back within one with 9:40 to play and tied the game at 10 with 2:31 to play, as
Kerri Thornton corralled the rebound of a Drexel save and fired it home.
Drexel won the opening draw of overtime – a stat in which the Dragons held an 18-7 advantage – and after a delay of game on Towson, capitalized with Drake’s game-winner.
Bennett made 14 saves, while Towson’s
Carly Merlo stopped 11 Drexel shots as both goalies played nearly 61 minutes. Schneidereith, Drake, Simpson, and Harris all produced multi-goal games for the Dragons, whose advantage in draws was fueled by seven from
Corinne Bednarik and six from Harris.
Drexel, along with at-large contender James Madison, will learn its destination for the First Round of the NCAA Championship when the field is announced Sunday at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
All-Tournament Team
Lucy Schneidereith, Drexel (MOP)
Zoe Bennett, Drexel
Allison Drake, Drexel
Hayleigh Simpson, Drexel
Olivia Malamphy, Towson
Carly Merlo, Towson
Blair Pearre, Towson
Danielle Livornese, Delaware
Sydni Rosa, Delaware
Shannon Boyle, Hofstra
Taylor Mennella, Hofstra
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