MADISON, N.J. - Sophomore
Tyler McCarthy broke a school record with seven caused turnovers and the Drew University men's lacrosse team used a stellar defensive effort to earn a 13-6 non-conference victory over Penn College Saturday afternoon at a frigid and snowy Ranger Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The Rangers (2-0), who won their second game in a row to start the season, held an opponent to its lowest goal total since a 20-3 victory over Centenary on March 4, 2020. Drew blanked the Wildcats in the fourth quarter and limited Penn to 16 shots on goal. In total, the Rangers held a 46-32 shot advantage.
McCarthy, who also picked up five ground balls, topped the former record of six caused turnovers set by current senior
Jonny Bronander versus Elizabethtown in 2018 and Frank Kingston C'17 against SUNY Maritime in 2017.
Senior
Michael Campanella III aided the defensive effort with three caused turnovers while sophomore
David Burke scooped five ground balls.
Offensively, freshman
Mike DeMayo poured in five goals and two assists while junior
Craig Wilkie netted four goals and four assists. Sophomore
GJ Nazziola went 13-for-20 on faceoffs while senior
Jeremy Gottlieb finished with 10 saves.
James Cella turned aside 14 shots for the Wildcats (1-2).
A major snowsquall swept through in the game's final minutes, hampering visibility and leaving the field covered in a thin blanket of snow.
The Rangers never trailed and led 3-1 at the end of the first quarter. After Penn scored the first goal of the second quarter, Drew answered with a 5-1 run to assume an 8-3 halftime advantage. DeMayo and Wilkie each scored twice in the period.
DeMayo struck again in the first minutes of the second before the Wildcats scored the next two to make it a 9-5 game. But the Rangers ended the game on a 4-1 spurt, with DeMayo striking two more times down the stretch.
Drew yielded just one shot in the fourth quarter.
The Rangers complete a three-game homestand on Saturday, when they take on Rosemont College at 3 p.m. in another non-league outing.
