MADISON, N.J. (Feb. 25, 2017) – Despite a furious second half comeback in which the Drew University men's lacrosse team outscored Vassar College 3-0, the Rangers' rally fell just short in a 6-5 loss on Opening Day at Ranger Stadium on Saturday.
 
By the Numbers
The Rangers drop to 0-1 to start the season, while the Brewers win their season opener by the slimmest of margins.
 
Top Performers
• Sophomore attacker Ryan D'Alessandro netted a pair of goals during the Rangers' comeback from down 6-1.
• Junior midfielder Jack Crowley and freshmen midfielders Kevin Goettlich and Seamus O'Connor all tallied their first career goals for the Rangers.
• Freshman goalkeeper Nate Sanders made an impressive collegiate debut with 17 saves, just one shy of cracking the top 10 for a single game in Drew history.
• Vassar's Sam Houston-Read was Saturday's leading scorer with two goals and two assists.
 
Turning Point
Shutdown defense, sharp goaltending and smart possessions helped Drew creep back into the game from a 6-1 deficit. Goettlich, D'Alessandro and O'Connor all scored in the fourth quarter, with the latter coming just 1:49 before the final whistle and Drew down 6-5.
 
Sophomore midfielder Ryan Connors won an important faceoff to give the Rangers the final possession of the game. Vassar complicated matters by taking a one-minute pushing penalty to put Drew up a man to end the contest. The Rangers, however, fell perhaps just a few seconds shy of tying the game as Vassar was called for a crosscheck right in front of the goal as time expired, and the referees deemed it was the end of the game despite the flag being thrown.
 
Highlights
• Following a 3-0 Vassar start to the game in the first quarter, the Rangers' first goal of 2017 came on a fast break. The play was finished on a pass from junior midfielder Greg Swenson to an open Crowley, who tucked the ball into the net to cut the Vassar lead to 3-1.
• The Brewers strung another three goals together before D'Alessandro blasted home an unassisted shot with just eight seconds left in the opening half.
• Goettlich got the fourth-quarter comeback started with a wraparound solo job with 9:18 left, followed by a D'Alessandro's second marker of the game off a feed from sophomore midfielder Brendan Hamm.
 
Stat Sheet
• Despite the slim margin of victory, Vassar controlled most of the offense on Saturday outshooting the Rangers 37-17.
• The Brewers also won the groundball battle, 40-24, and won 10-of-15 faceoffs.
• Six penalties were killed off in the contest with Drew going 0-for-2 and Vassar 0-for-4 in the man-up situations.
• Freshman midfielder Kyle MacDonnell and D'Alessandro led the team with four groundballs apiece, while Swenson and senior midfielder Drew Stenger each caused a pair of Vassar turnovers.
 
Up Next
Drew continues its two-game season opening homestand on Wednesday, March 1 at 7:00 p.m. against Maritime College at Ranger Stadium.