MADISON, N.J. – The United States Merchant Marine Academy used a furious late-game comeback to hand the Rangers an 18-17 overtime loss in an exciting non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Ranger Stadium.
 
Drew (5-4) led 15-8 with 3:31 left in the third quarter before the Mariners ran off a 10-2 run, capped by a game-winning goal from Carter Hall with 1:37 left in OT.
 
Senior Craig Wilkie paced the Rangers with seven goals – tied for third-most in team history – and two assists while breaking into Drew's all-time top-10 career goals list. He is now ninth with 110 tallies.
 
Sophomore Mike DeMayo contributed three goals, three assists, and five ground balls for Drew while sophomore Luke Bruther and junior Brett Spafford scored two goals each. Junior GJ Nazziola went 20-for-37 on faceoffs to go with 13 ground balls, and junior David Burke picked up eight ground balls. Senior Jack Tynan posted four ground balls and three caused turnovers while freshman Matt Duarte collected 19 saves.
 
Owen Barcus led Merchant Marine with (2-3) with five goals and one assist.
 
The Rangers were hot from the start, outscoring USMMA 7-2 in the opening quarter. Drew received balanced scoring in the period, with seven different players finding the back of the net.
 
Offense was the name of the game in the second quarter as well, when the two sides combined for 11 goals. The Rangers buried six shots in the stanza, including three in a row from Wilkie midway through the quarter. DeMayo and Bruther scored the team's final two goals of the half and the hosts led 13-7 at the intermission.
 
Both sides cooled off in the third quarter, when Drew held a 3-2 scoring edge. After Wilkie struck again with 3:31 left in the period to push his team's lead to 15-8, Merchant Marine scored twice to make it a five-point game heading into the final stanza.
 
The Mariners kicked off a seven-goal fourth quarter with the first three tallies of the final period to pull within two. Wilkie responded with his final two goals, the second of which made it 17-13 with 4:06 to go. But the visitors would not go away and scored four times in the last 1:55 of regulation, including the game-tying goal from William Badeer with eight seconds left.
 
In overtime, the Rangers won the faceoff but junior Matt Giordano had his shot saved. However, Drew quickly regained possession when DeMayo knocked down a clearing pass from the goalie and scooped up the ground ball. The Rangers then received a man-up opportunity, but USMMA keeper Tucker Swinerton made another stop on an offering from freshman Ian Curley.
 
After a successful career, the Mariners called timeout. With 2:15 left, Duarte made his final stop before Burke collected the ground ball. The long-stick midfielder cleared the ball himself and attempted a wraparound shot, but Swinerton recorded his third save of the extra session and after another clear Hall ripped a low shot for the game-winner.
 
The Rangers are back in action next Saturday, when they host Susquehanna University in their Landmark Conference opener.