Bulldogs fall in 4OT after major comeback

Four goals in the final nine minutes of regulation boost Bulldogs, but Drexel prevails in fourth OT, 8-7

PHILADELPHIA – The Bulldogs scored four-straight goals with under nine minutes to play in the final quarter to knot the game at 7-7 and force overtime, and it would take Drexel four extra sessions to score again, but with 38.4 seconds to play in the fourth overtime period, Kyle Bergman finally netted the game winner to give Drexel an 8-7 win over the Bryant University men's lacrosse team Sunday afternoon at Vidas Field.

Senior Gary Crowley (Scituate, Mass.) scored four of the Bulldogs' seven goals, including the game-tying tally with 1:42 to play in regulation. Junior Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.) tallied two goals for Bryant (2-3).

With a 3-1 halftime lead and a 5-2 advantage after three quarters of action, the Dragons (3-3) extended their lead to 6-2 just 31 seconds into the final period of regulation on leading scorer Scott Perri's only tally of the game.

Crowley would cut the deficit back to three scores, 6-3, with the second of his game-high four tallies at the 12:43 mark, but Drexel wasted little time upping its lead back to four on a Robert Church goal that handed the Bulldogs a 7-3 deficit with just 12 minutes left to play in the contest.

Having scored just two goals in the opening 45 minutes – the first coming less than four minutes into the game and the second coming with 32 seconds to play in the third frame – Bryant's hopes of a comeback seemed slimmer and slimmer as the minutes ticked off the clock.

But with just 8:51 remaining in regulation, Crowley and took a pass from sophomore Peter McMahon (Wilton, Conn.) from behind the net and fired off a quick shot from 15 feet out for a goal that kickstarted an unlikely comeback rally – one that saw the Bulldogs come storming back to draw even on Drexel's home turf.

Max Weisenberg (Long Beach, N.Y.) made it 7-5 with an unassisted score at the 6:55 mark, creating his own lane to rip a high shot that sailed over the shoulder of Dragon goalie Mark Manos.

The junior scored again 35 seconds later, getting a feed from Evan Roberts (West Cornwall, Vt.) on a man-up opportunity – the Bulldogs would go 2-for-5 with the extra man on the day – to draw within a single tally for the first time since 2-1 with five minutes to play in the second quarter.

The goal prompted a Drexel timeout, but that wouldn't stop the Black and Gold, who completed their impressive comeback drive with 1:42 left on the clock when Crowley travelled all the way down the field for an unimpeded shot and unassisted goal from the right side, the beneficiary of an Anthony Iannello (Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) caused turnover that sparked the play.

"To make a comeback like that, your lead guys have to be in the forefront," said Bryant head coach Mike Pressler. "We've relied on Max and Gary for so many years in so many ways – they were absolutely stellar in the second half of the fourth quarter."

Drexel won the ensuing faceoff and held out for one last shot, but it was local product Joe Rauchut (Philadelphia, Pa.) who foiled the home side's last effort for a win in regulation, forcing a turnover in Bryant's defensive end with 19 seconds left to play.

"We were very pleased that we got back to playing Bryant defense," said Pressler.

But the sudden victory overtime format wouldn't be so sudden Sunday, as the teams battled for an extra 15:22 – four different overtime sessions – before the game was decided.

Drexel outshot the visiting Bulldogs, 3-2, in the opening overtime period, but Bryant was assisted by a trio of Dragon turnovers and two Jameson Love (Darien, Conn.) saves in the frame.

It wasn't until the second OT that the first near winner was fired, when Brendan Glynn hit the post with 2:06 to play, ricocheting away from the goal to keep the Bulldogs in the game.

In the third, an unnecessary roughness penalty on Drexel's Matt Dusek gave the Bulldogs a minute-long man advantage, and strong passing around the box set up a doorstep shot for McMahon. But Manos and his defense were again there to foil the opportunity, making a huge block on the shot to keep the game alive for the home side. Bryant outshot its host, 6-0, in the third overtime session.

"When a game goes 60 minutes plus four overtimes, there are so many plays you can look at and say 'that could have been the difference,'" said Pressler. "But at the end of the day, we leave Philadelphia very pleased with our effort, especially down 6-2 in the fourth quarter after a heartbreaking loss to Army just 48 hours prior."

Drexel would finally break the deadlock as the fourth overtime started to draw to a close, after a Bulldog turnover in the offensive end turned into the Dragons' opportunity with numbers up, an opportunity they converted for Bergman's game-winning shot, a score from the right side into the left netting with 38.4 seconds to play.

"I am really proud of my guys," said Pressler. "We just battled back and we had more than our share of opportunities to win it in all four overtimes. But ultimately, in a game like this one, it's a bounce, it's a save, it's a pipe. And give the credit to Drexel – they made the last play to win the game."

On the day, Bryant outshot Drexel, 41-35, despite trailing in that category, 18-15, at the half and 25-20 entering the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs fired 11 shots in the final 15 minutes of regulation and outshot the Dragons, 10-7, throughout the four overtime stanzas.

One of the biggest stories of the game, though, was the play of both goalies in the outing. Love posted a season-high 17 saves despite the loss, including five in the second frame, while his counterpart turned away 13 to get the win.

"Those are two of the best goalies in the game," said Pressler. "We knew about their kid, but we like our guy a lot too. I think they were in a duel against each other, and they both made huge saves down the stretch and especially in overtime."

Drexel won both the ground ball and faceoff battles, picking up 39 ground balls to Bryant's 30, paced by a game-best seven from Frank Tufano. Devin Thomas went 10-for-14 from the faceoff X to lead the home team, as the Dragons would go on to win 14-of-22 on the day. Iannello led Bryant on defense, causing four Drexel turnovers (13 for Bryant on the day).

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, March 19 when they travel to Geneva, N.Y. to take on Hobart College at 1 p.m.