EASTON, Pa. - Drexel  stole a 9-8 final from the Leopards at Fisher Stadium on Tuesday night. Aidan Kopen and Cooper Pasko led Lafayette offensively, with both players picking up a pair of goals.

The visitors got on the board first as Witt Crawford sent a pass from Caden Zadell into the back of the net at the 6:43 mark in quarter one. The Maroon and White responded with two goals over the next two minutes courtesy of Pasko and Benjamin DiBattista. Pasko did all the work himself en route to his first career goal, while DiBattista notched his 15th goal of the season for a 2-1 lead with 4:07 on the clock. A Drexel goal briefly halted the Leopards' momentum, as a Jack Joyner with 17 seconds remaining allowed the Dragons to enter the second quarter knotted up.

The second period began similarly to the first. Following a penalty, Owen Knight capitalized on the man-up opportunity by firing a shot into the cage for a 3-2 advantage (10:29). Lafayette once again had an answer, this time from Kopen. With 8:17 remaining before the break, the senior midfielder sliced through Drexel's defense for the first of two goals in the quarter. Both teams played excellent defense over the next five minutes before the Leopards' Charlie Foley netted his third goal of his freshman campaign at 3:58. The visitors tacked on another score (4-4) prior to a pair of goals from Pasko and Kopen. At halftime, the Leopards led 6-4.

Drexel  won the third quarter, outscoring Lafayette 3-2. Gavin Kelly registered assists to Crawford and Alec Tulio, the latter of which tied the score at seven goals apiece. The Maroon and White struck with less than two minutes left in the third on a Joseph Duggan goal to capture an 8-7 advantage heading into the final 15 minutes of action.

The Dragons used scores from Tulio and Crawford to regain the lead (9-8) six minutes into the fourth. Drexel's defense tightened up, allowing just four Leopard shots on goal for the remainder of the game. Crawford finished as the game's leading scorer, with four goals.

Junior Nick Faccone was dominant at the X, winning 12 of his 19 face-off attempts in addition to scooping up four ground balls.

Lafayette remains at home on Saturday, hosting Mount St. Mary's at 4 p.m. for the second game of a doubleheader.


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