Drexel University Athletics

Dragons Battle Towson in CAA Semifinals on Thursday
4/28/2015 11:19:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
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Fairfield, Conn. - The Drexel men's lacrosse team begins the defense of its Colonial Athletics Association title on Thursday afternoon, April 30, against Towson University. The two teams face off at Rafferty Stadium on the campus of Fairfield University at 4 p.m.
Drexel enters the game as the second seed after finishing the regular season with a 3-2 mark in the CAA. The Dragons and Towson tied for second in the league, but the Dragons won the tie breaker by winning the regular-season finale on Saturday against the Tigers. The Tigers will be the third seed.
On Saturday, Drexel defeated the Tigers, 11-10. Towson had the last possession and called time with just 14 seconds to play. However, the Drexel defense held the then 17th-ranked Tigers without a shot as the Dragons escaped with the win. Robert Frazee and Chris Frederick each scored three times to lead the offense. The Dragons jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Towson fought back and even took the lead in the fourth quarter. Frederick put the Dragons ahead for good with 4:42 to go and Ryan Belka added an insurance goal 32 seconds later. Towson was able to cut it to one with 2:21 to play, but Drexel hung on for the win.
Belka completed a sensational senior regular season by scoring two goals on Senior Day. He now has a team-best 31 goals, 18 assists and 49 points. Sophomore Cole Shafer now has 25 goals and 34 points. Frazee is up to 15 goals on the year after scoring three goals in each of his last two games. Jimmy Joe Granito, who had 12 saves against the Tigers, now has a .542 save percentage in his 10 games. Senior Nick Saputo has won 55 percent of his face-offs and is the top 10 nationally in ground balls per game.
Towson enters the game with a 9-5 overall record. The Tigers have lost two straight games heading into the postseason. Despite that, Towson is still tied for second in the nation in scoring defense, averaging just 7.36 goals per game. The only team with a better scoring defense is Maryland. Joe Seider is the team's top offensive threats. He has scored 27 goals and has 32 points. Spencer Parks and Ryan Drenner each have 15 goals. Tyler White is the Tigers' goalkeeper. He is second in the nation with a 7.12 goals against average and is sixth in the country with a .587 save percentage.
Tickets for the CAA semifinals are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 13. Admission is good for both semifinal games on Thursday. Students of participating schools are admitted free with a valid school ID. All tickets are for general admission seating.
The winner of the Drexel-Towson game will play in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Rafferty Stadium. The opponent will either be top-seeded Fairfield or the University of Massachusetts. Those two teams faceoff at 7 p.m., right after the Drexel-Towson game. The Stags and Minutemen each defeated the Dragons during the regular season.
Fairfield, Conn. - The Drexel men's lacrosse team begins the defense of its Colonial Athletics Association title on Thursday afternoon, April 30, against Towson University. The two teams face off at Rafferty Stadium on the campus of Fairfield University at 4 p.m.
Drexel enters the game as the second seed after finishing the regular season with a 3-2 mark in the CAA. The Dragons and Towson tied for second in the league, but the Dragons won the tie breaker by winning the regular-season finale on Saturday against the Tigers. The Tigers will be the third seed.
On Saturday, Drexel defeated the Tigers, 11-10. Towson had the last possession and called time with just 14 seconds to play. However, the Drexel defense held the then 17th-ranked Tigers without a shot as the Dragons escaped with the win. Robert Frazee and Chris Frederick each scored three times to lead the offense. The Dragons jumped out to a 7-2 lead, but Towson fought back and even took the lead in the fourth quarter. Frederick put the Dragons ahead for good with 4:42 to go and Ryan Belka added an insurance goal 32 seconds later. Towson was able to cut it to one with 2:21 to play, but Drexel hung on for the win.
Belka completed a sensational senior regular season by scoring two goals on Senior Day. He now has a team-best 31 goals, 18 assists and 49 points. Sophomore Cole Shafer now has 25 goals and 34 points. Frazee is up to 15 goals on the year after scoring three goals in each of his last two games. Jimmy Joe Granito, who had 12 saves against the Tigers, now has a .542 save percentage in his 10 games. Senior Nick Saputo has won 55 percent of his face-offs and is the top 10 nationally in ground balls per game.
Towson enters the game with a 9-5 overall record. The Tigers have lost two straight games heading into the postseason. Despite that, Towson is still tied for second in the nation in scoring defense, averaging just 7.36 goals per game. The only team with a better scoring defense is Maryland. Joe Seider is the team's top offensive threats. He has scored 27 goals and has 32 points. Spencer Parks and Ryan Drenner each have 15 goals. Tyler White is the Tigers' goalkeeper. He is second in the nation with a 7.12 goals against average and is sixth in the country with a .587 save percentage.
Tickets for the CAA semifinals are $10 for adults and $5 for children under 13. Admission is good for both semifinal games on Thursday. Students of participating schools are admitted free with a valid school ID. All tickets are for general admission seating.
The winner of the Drexel-Towson game will play in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Rafferty Stadium. The opponent will either be top-seeded Fairfield or the University of Massachusetts. Those two teams faceoff at 7 p.m., right after the Drexel-Towson game. The Stags and Minutemen each defeated the Dragons during the regular season.
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