MADISON, N.J. (April 19, 2017) —Junior midfielder Nicole Kinney netted the tying and game-winning goals just a minute apart from each other as the Drew University women's lacrosse team won a crucial Landmark Conference game against The University of Scranton, 13-12, in front of a home crowd at Ranger Stadium on Wednesday evening.
 
By the Numbers: A win here means that Drew pulls into a tie for the fourth and final playoff spot in the conference with a 2-2 record. They draw even closer to Scranton, who falls to 3-2 and third place in the Landmark after Drew's win. Overall the Rangers are 9-6 and the Royals are 8-4.
 
Top Performers
• In addition to her crucial, clutch scores in the closing minutes of the contest, Kinney logged four goals, total. She also contributed four ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers, both stats tied for the team-lead with freshman midfielder Allie DiDario.
• DiDario pitched in a pair of goals in addition to her otherwise well-rounded collection of stats. Her first goal made the score 5-4 with about 11 minutes to go in the first half while her second came on a free position attempt in the second half pulled Drew within one again, this time making it 8-7, Scranton.
• With Drew trailing 12-10 with just seven minutes to play, senior midfielder Morgan Mason took charge. She got small and squeezed her way into the zone using a sequence of cuts to open up a scoring lane. She ripped home what would be her fifth goal of the game to prompt the three-goal run Drew would use to win and end the game on. It was Morgan's second game this year with five goals or more.
• A big chapter of this book belongs to senior goalie Gianna Minogue. Her 15 saves are good for her second-highest total of the year and she raised that total with a couple of critical back-to-back point blank stops in the closing minutes.
 
Turning Point: Kinney's two goals couldn't have come at a more pressing point of the contest and, using Mason's motivational score for fuel, Kinney drove past defenders, netting both her game-tying and game-winning goals without the help of an assist. Once goal number 13 for Drew found the twine, Kinney spiked her stick in celebration, and the Rangers managed to run out the clock.
 
Highlights
• Drew's first and last goals marked the only times they'd hold a lead all game. Mason was the first player to score.
• Senior attacker Kelly Dwyer kept Scranton from gaining momentum with an unassisted goal halfway through the second half. Dwyer's nifty conversion was her 12^th of the season and narrowed the lead to 10-9 and set things up for senior attacker Sage Johnson
• Johnson, also not needing an assist flooded the offensive zone and strode toward the net, ripping the then game-tying score just 17 seconds after Dwyer's. The Dwyer-Johnson duo owned the 15^th minute of the second half and set the table for the Rangers' game-clinching surge down the stretch.
• With two minutes to go, Minogue preserved Drew's lead with a point blank save on a free position that would've tied the game. Just seconds later, Minogue was tested again and she passed, hugging the post to reject a sharp angle try, catching the would-be game-tying score with her stick.
 
Stat Sheet
• Minogue's heroism in net is reflected by the shots on goal differential. Scranton put 27 shots on net to Drew's 18, but Minogue made sure those tries were in vain.
• Both teams cleared the ball 17 times but Drew failed to clear just once, while Scranton failed six times.
• Scranton held the ground ball edge 21-16.
 
Up Next: Drew's got the 0-4 Goucher Gophers as one of two more tasks to pass for a shot at the playoffs. The Senior Day tilt is slated for a 1:00 p.m. start on Saturday, April 22^nd but fans are encouraged to arrive early to help honor the seven seniors donning their home jerseys for the last time in the regular season.