MADISON, N.J. (March 24, 2015) – The Drew University women's lacrosse team, fueled by a resurgent second half featuring seven combined goals from sophomore midfielder Morgan Mason and senior attacker Nikki Kleiman, defeated the Kean University Cougars 10-6 on a Tuesday evening in Madison.
 
Four of the final five Ranger goals were scored by Mason. The only time Mason has scored more than four in a contest was last season against Catholic on April 26, 2014. Also making her presence felt was senior midfielder Krysta Cento, who, with one goal on the night, has scored in every game since May of 2012 -- her freshman year.
 
The Rangers (4-1) trailed the Cougars (0-5) at halftime 3-2 but responded with an 8-3 second half advantage for the non-conference victory.
 
"There were quite a few things we went over strategy wise that we didn't implement in the first half," head coach Julia Steier said. "We had to go back to what we discussed. We thought the attackers were rushing and we talked about making the extra pass. Krysta was getting face guarded and that's when we looked to drive. Morgan stepped up when we needed it."
 
Sophomore attackers Anna Fiorini and Theresa Shafron contributed to the scoring as well. Fiorini assisted on Kleiman's game winner and netted the Rangers' first goal of the contest halfway through the 12^th minute of play while Shafron scored the final goal of the first half, narrowing the deficit at the time to one.
 
The game-winning goal all began after Fiorini created with a vicious, tightly wound crease roll and equally as efficient pass to Kleiman who flicked on the ball to score.
 
Kean employed two goaltenders on the night and used them interchangeably. Despite working with a split staff, the Rangers managed to wear down the net minding duo with insistent attacking. The Rangers, granted a plethora of inside opportunities, fired strong shots at the Kean goaltending duo but the net minders turned away 9 first half shots. The unit stymied Drew's 1^st half for the most part but the Rangers exploded out of the gate in the 2^nd, ultimately wearing down the goaltenders.
 
Drew used just one net minder at that would be all they needed as sophomore Gianna Minogue won her fourth contest of the season on the strength of 10 saves.
 
"She was tracking the ball so well, stepping on her arc well, and making big saves when we needed it," Steier said.
 
Minogue's performance in net transcended just the obvious benefits, making waves beyond the net. According to Steier, "The saves really pumped up the defense."
 
Freshman defender Chelsea Hamilton locked down the Cougars with stingy defense, logging three ground balls in a transitional performance Steier described as "incredible."
 
"She prevented two goals with some great recovery and footwork," Steier said. "She found some open Kean players and shut down some opportunities. She's a young player with a really bright future."
 
The Rangers will look to ride this successful performance into a Landmark Conference contest with Catholic University set to take place at Ranger Stadium on Saturday March 28^th at 12:00 p.m.