SCRANTON, Pa. (Nov. 2, 2016) – The third-seeded Drew University men's soccer team fell in the Landmark Conference semifinals at No. 2 The University of Scranton, 2-1, on Wednesday evening.
 
Top Performers: Following the Royals' opening score in the 40^th minute, senior Sebastien Etta-Ashu scored the equalizer in the 45^th minute, just 42 seconds before overtime. Sophomore defender Niko Cserhat picked up his first career assist on the play, and sophomore midfielder Zach Lipshitz created the opportunity with a saved shot that led to his corner kick, which began the goal scoring sequence.
 
Turning Point: In a defensively dominated contest, the Royals relied on a free kick to score the go-ahead goal in the 66^th minute. From 35 yards away from goal, Pat Codispoti's free kick sailed into the upper right corner of the net.
 
Other Highlights: Drew's lone goal came during a frenetic sequence near the end of the first half. Lipshitz fired a surprise shot on net, which required saving as the ball deflected out for a corner kick. With time running out on the half, Lipshitz quickly ran to the spot and fired in a low skipping serve toward Cserhat, who flipped the ball on toward the center of the six-yard box. Etta-Ashu was there to hammer home the equalizer for his second goal of the season and 11^th of his career.
 
Another frantic series of plays took place at the end of regulation as the Rangers fought desperately to stay alive. Drew won two corner kicks during the final 30 seconds, but the Royals defense held their ground to advance to the Landmark Championship game.
 
Stat Sheet: The Rangers outshot Scranton, 11-8, but the Royals were more efficient with their shots with a 6-3 advantage in shots on goal. Senior goalkeeper John Marques made four saves, while both of goalkeeper Eric Hintz's saves were diving to keep Drew out of the net.
 
Up Next: The Royals defend their 2015 Landmark Conference Championship in a repeat matchup of last year's final at top-seeded Elizabethtown College on Saturday. The Rangers have declared for the ECAC Championships and will await a possible bid to the postseason tournament the week of Nov. 7.