READING, Pa. – The Husson University men's lacrosse team got a game-winning goal from junior Drew Clinch with eight seconds remaining to cap a dramatic road victory over Albright College, 12–11, in a nonconference contest on Sunday afternoon in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Albright (1-4) opened the scoring early in the first quarter to take a 1-0 lead, but Husson (2-0) responded quickly as sophomore Taylor Schwalje found the back of the net with 11:41 remaining in the period to even the game at 1-1.
The Lions added two more goals later in the quarter to build a 3-1 advantage heading into the second.
Husson mounted a strong response in the second quarter. Senior Kiernan Field started the rally with a man-down goal off an assist from senior Aidan Byers to cut the deficit to 3-2. Field then scored twice more in a span of 27 seconds, completing the natural hat trick and putting the Eagles in front 4-3.
Albright briefly regained the lead at 5-4 before Husson answered with three straight goals to reclaim control. Freshman Gabe Robinson tied the contest with a power-play tally off an assist from Clinch. Sophomore Dominic Hollenkamp followed with a goal from Byers before Schwalje scored again, assisted by Field, to give the Eagles a 7-5 advantage.
The Lions scored once more before halftime to cut the Husson lead to 7-6.
Husson extended its lead early in the third quarter when freshman Alek Duprey finished a pass from Schwalje. Robinson then added his second goal of the game, assisted by Field, giving the Eagles a 9-6 advantage.
Albright responded with three straight goals to tie the game at 9-9 late in the third quarter. Husson answered before the period ended when sophomore Cody Dingwell scored off a feed from Hollenkamp, putting the Eagles back in front 10-9 heading into the final quarter.
Hollenkamp extended the lead to 11-9 early in the fourth quarter with a goal assisted by Clinch. Albright answered with two goals midway through the period to tie the game at 11-11 with just over six minutes remaining.
The teams remained tied until the final seconds when Clinch scored off an assist from junior Owen Giorgio with eight seconds remaining out of an out of bounds reset for the Eagles to give Husson the 12-11 victory.
Field paced the Eagles offensively with three goals and two assists, while Schwalje recorded two goals and two assists. Robinson and Hollenkamp each scored twice, while Clinch added a goal and two assists. Duprey and Dingwell also scored for Husson.
Junior Brad Stolt was dominant at the faceoff X, winning 19 of 22 draws while collecting a game-high 15 ground balls to help Husson control possession throughout the game.
Husson finished with 43 total shots, including 24 on goal, and successfully cleared the ball on 12 of its 16 attempts. The Eagles also forced 14 turnovers while committing 18 of their own in the back-and-forth contest.
In goal, senior Odin Burk recorded 12 saves while facing 36 shots. Husson also held a strong advantage in ground balls, 36-11, and dominated the faceoff battle 22-4.
The Eagles have a quick turnaround, as they will head to Hackettstown, New Jersey to battle Centenary University on Monday at 2 p.m.
