CLAREMONT, Calif. (March 10, 2016) – Playing 2,700 miles from their home turf in Madison, the Drew University women's lacrosse team dropped a heartbreaker by a matter of inches at Pomona-Pitzer College to conclude a Spring Break cross-country trip on Thursday.
 
The Rangers (1-4) struck first to lead 2-0, and methodically built an 8-3 lead midway through the second half using smart possessions, crisp passing and strong finishing. However, the Sagehens (5-0) remained perfect in 2016 by coming all the way back to tie and send the game to overtime. Three minutes into bonus time, a foul called just inches inside the eight-meter arch led to a free position shot, which Pomona-Pitzer capitalized on to walk off with a dramatic 11-10 victory.
 
Sophomore midfielder Maddie Spiess scored her third hat trick of the young season and upped her team-lead in goals scored to 15. Junior Kelly Dwyer notched her first career hat trick with three goals, while sophomore and reigning Landmark Conference Athlete of the Week Juliana Strazulo netted two. Sophomores Sage Johnson and Nicole Kinney pitched on a goal a piece in the close setback.
 
After a scoreless opening seven minutes, Dwyer and Johnson put the Rangers up 2-0 with a pair of unassisted blasts. The Sagehens would come back to tie, but two minutes later Spiess scored her first of three on a free eight-meter shot that found the back of the net.
 
PPC tied it again before Strazulo and Spiess each scored to ensure the 5-3 Ranger lead heading into halftime.
 
Determined to hold the lead they had build in the first, the Rangers executed similarly effective offense to open the second half. Their next two goals, coming within the first 1:30 of the half, were both assisted. The first scored by Kinney was off a feed by Spiess, followed by a Kinney pass to Dwyer for the 7-3 lead. Drew made it 8-3 at the 18:58 mark with a woman-up goal scored by Strazulo.
 
Strazulo's tally induced the Pomona-Pitzer sideline to call timeout, and what was said during that break may have made the difference on Thursday. The Sagehens scored within 30 seconds of the timeout, and then four more times in the span of 1:30, including a woman-up goal, to tie the game at 8-8.
 
Seemingly undaunted by the PPC comeback, Drew tacked on two more goals Spiess scoring her second free position of the game and Dwyer converting a woman-up goal off a feed from Johnson two minutes later to go back up 10-8. However, with 7:15 remaining the Sagehens launched the last-ditch attempt at a comeback and succeeded with a pair of goals to knot the game at 10-10 with 2:35 to play. The home side just missed the game-winner in regulation, ringing a shot off the post in free position with just 16 seconds left.
 
In overtime, junior goalkeeper Gianna Minogue (nine saves), came up with a big caused turnover to give Drew the ball. The Sagehens pressured and caused a failed clear and promptly drew the foul within the eight-meter arch, leading to the game-winning free position shot.
 
In the setback, Strazulo again proved to be a force in the midfield, picking up a game-high five ground balls, causing two turnovers and controlling four draws. The Sagehens were aided by a 12-of-13 clear percentage and a 15-8 advantage in draw controls.
 
The Rangers return North and enjoy a week off from competition. Next up is a road game at SUNY College at Old Westbury on Saturday, March 19 at noon.