No. 15 Stony Brook takes down women’s lax, 16-6 | The Triangle

No. 15 Stony Brook takes down women’s lax, 16-6

Junior Joelle Hartke scored two goals and added one assist in Drexel’s 9-5 victory over Saint Joseph’s University Feb. 23. The midfielder has four goals and three assists in three games so far this season; her seven points is tied for second-best on the team.
Junior Joelle Hartke scored two goals and added one assist in Drexel’s 9-5 victory over Saint Joseph’s University Feb. 23. The midfielder has four goals and three assists in three games so far this season; her seven points is tied for second-best on the team.

The Drexel women’s lacrosse team finished its season-opening three-game homestand Feb. 26 with mixed results. The Dragons were able to secure impressive victories in their first two games of the season, but fell hard to Stony Brook University in their attempt to sweep the first three games of the season.

Following an impressive win to open the season, the Dragons were back in action against Saint Joseph’s University Feb. 23. Drexel was on its game once again as it overpowered the Hawks on its way to a 9-5 victory.

Sophomore midfielder Lizzy Carr was the offensive star for the Dragons in the game, recording her first hat trick of the season. Senior attacker Kelly Palace and junior midfielder Joelle Hartke also had strong showings, adding two goals apiece.

The game started out slow with neither team able to muster up much offense. That all changed at the 25:42 mark when the Hawks’ Emily Bowers found the net with the first shot of the game to give her team the 1-0 lead.

Though Saint Joseph’s grabbed the early lead, momentum quickly shifted to the Dragons and they held the majority of the offensive play going forward. With 22 minutes left in the first period, senior midfielder Amanda Norcini set up Palace, who put the ball home to even up the score. Only four minutes later Palace notched another mark, scoring an unassisted goal to give the Dragons their first lead.

But Saint Joseph’s countered the Dragons’ surge with one of its own. With 12:53 remaining, Michele Granger knotted the game back up at two.

Once again, the Hawks were not able to sustain their momentum, and the Dragons grabbed the lead right back. Just a few minutes after Granger scored for Saint Joesph’s, Hartke capitalized on a turnover and put Drexel back on top. With 4:29 left in the first, Hartke tallied her second of the game, once again off a Hawks turnover, to give the Dragons a 4-2 lead.

Saint Joseph’s got one back off a free position shot courtesy of Abby Ananian with a few minutes to go before halftime, but Drexel struck right back with 1:45 left when Carr fired a shot into the net for her first of the game.

The Dragons came out of the break with all the momentum, and it was evident. Drexel opened the second period with three straight goals to increase its lead to 8-3.

The Hawks managed to put two more goals on the board, but their comeback attempt fell short. Lizzy Carr completed the Dragons’ scoring, and her hat trick with just over 17 minutes left in the game effectively put the game out of reach for Saint Joseph’s.

The Dragons returned to Vidas Field Feb. 26 to face their toughest test of the early season in  Stony Brook University.

The Dragons were looking to sweep their season-opening three-game homestand but could not find a groove against the Seawolves as they fell 16-6.

Drexel kept pace with Stony Brook in the beginning stages of the game, but nine straight goals by Stony Brook put the game well out of reach.

Norcini and freshman midfielder Caroline Thiele provided the majority of the Dragons’ offense as each player tallied two goals in the game. Junior attacker Alissa Watts and Hartke also got on the scoresheet with one goal apiece.

The Seawolves’ Dorrien Van Dyke led all scorers in the game, racking up six goals. Drexel will be back on the field March 1, when the Dragons travel to Colgate University for their first road game of the season.