MADISON, N.J. (March 22, 2016) – The Drew University men's lacrosse team scored the first and final goals, but a 6-1 scoring run for Centenary (N.J.) College during the heart of the non-conference contest at Ranger Stadium resulted in a 9-6 win for the Cyclones (4-3) on Tuesday evening.
 
The Rangers (1-5) received two goals from junior midfielder Tom Cotroneo to tie him for the team lead with four tallies in 2016. Scoring one goal apiece were junior Michael Lloyd, sophomore Joe Palmieri and freshmen Brendan Hamm and Ryan D'Alessandro. Drew outshot Centenary, 35-26.
 
Drew opened the game's scoring five minutes into the contest after junior Drew Stenger caused a turnover in the Rangers' offensive zone. Lloyd was the benefactor of the loose ball as he cut through three Centenary defenders and fired home his second goal of the season for the 1-0 Rangers lead. Centenary evened the score with 5:39 left in the opening quarter, which preceded a barrage of Cyclone shots that either missed wide or were saved by junior goalkeeper Teddy Sweeney.
 
With 1:17 remaining in the first, one Sweeney save started a clear. Once successful, Hamm found Cotroneo near the cage for an effective one-two combo that gave Drew the 2-1 lead with 17 seconds left in the period. Drew wasn't quite done in the first, however. Following Palmieri's faceoff win, Lloyd took a shot on net that needed saving, and following a groundball pickup on the rebound, freshman Thomas Ensmenger fired high as the time ran out.
 
In the second, it only took Drew two minutes to extend its lead to 3-1 as Cotroneo struck the back of the net for the second time. After Centenary killed off a penalty, they began erasing the Rangers' lead with a tally at the 9:56 mark. A similar sequence – a penalty kill followed by a Cyclones goal – tied the game at 3-3 with 4:53 to play in the half.
 
Drew would take the lead into halftime after scoring on a man-up opportunity with 36 seconds left. D'Alessandro netted his third goal of the spring, tying him with senior Steven Cola for the team-lead in points with eight.
 
Centenary put together a dominant third period that saw a 3-0 run in goal scoring, only one turnover, a perfect clearing percentage and an 8-5 advantage in ground balls. Two of the Cyclones goals came on man-up opportunities as the Rangers committed all three of their penalties in the third period.
 
The Cyclones made it four straight goals opening scoring in the fourth quarter. Hamm brought the Rangers back within two with his goal with 10:50 left in the game. D'Alessandro slid behind the goal and passed off to Hamm, who was waiting unguarded in front of the net for a one-time shot and Drew trailed 7-5.
 
Centenary halted the momentum swing with a goal at 7:51, then a couple of long possessions. Drew ended up with the ball at the 3:00 mark, but two consecutive shots missed the target and a third was saved by a consistent Centenary goaltender, who stifled Drew with 15 saves on Tuesday. Centenary then pushed the lead to 9-5 with 1:44 to go.
 
Drew got the last word in as they tried to swing some positive energy into Landmark Conference play on Friday. Palmieri took a long shot from about 18 yards out that skipped into the net. The score would hold as final.
 
The Rangers travel to Baltimore, Md. on Friday, March 25 to face Susquehanna University at a neutral site. The game will be hosted by Johns Hopkins University at 7:00 p.m.