Musynske Nets Game Winner as Garnet Lax Wins Rollercoaster Game Over Drew, 8-7 (2OT)
SWARTHMORE, Pa. - Senior Gavin Musynske scored the game-winning goal with :10 seconds left in the second overtime on a contested shot from the left wing, as the Swarthmore College men's lacrosse team (4-7, 1-5) defeated Drew 8-7 in a double-overtime thriller on Wednesday evening from Clothier Field Stadium.
The wild contest saw the Garnet shut out the visiting Rangers (6-4, 3-0) for the first 44 minutes of play, building a 6-0 lead late into the third period, only to see Drew come back and score seven unanswered goals over a 10-minute stretch throughout the third and fourth periods to miraculously take the lead at 7-6 with just 5:18 left to play in the game.
Musynske scored the game-winning goal with :10 seconds remaining in the second overtime.
Sophomore Max Hubbard led the Garnet with two goals, while Musynske, sophomore John Bukawyn, sophomore Kevin Pytlar, sophomore Zach Belden and freshman Charlie Otte all scored a goal apiece.
Senior Tyler Bradshaw scored the game-tying goal with 5:05 left to play in the game and added an assist for Swarthmore - which marked the 100th point of his career.
Senior Kevin Friedenberg was outstanding in net for the Garnet, making 15 saves while shutting out the Rangers for 44 minutes.
Behind a balanced scoring attack and a suffocating defense, the Garnet appeared to be cruising towards an easy non-conference victory. Swat led 4-0 at the half and following late third-period goals by Pytlar and Belden, had a commanding 6-0 lead with just 1:38 remaining in the third period.
The Rangers finally found the back of the net with a goal from Greg Reading with :54 seconds remaining in the third, getting on the board at 6-1 - but that goal helped to completley turn the tide in the once-lopsided contest.
Over the next 10 minutes of play, the Drew offense - which couldn't register a single goal for 44 minutes - came to life out of nowhere, scoring seven unanswered goals to shockingly take the lead from the Garnet. A goal from Mike Sayers gave the Rangers a 7-6 lead with 5:18 - leaving the crowd at Clothier Field Stadium in a stunned silence.
But just when things looked bleak for the Garnet, its leading scorer and senior captain came to the rescue. Following a Swat faceoff victory, Bradshaw had the equalizer just :13 seconds following after Drew took the lead, making it a 7-7 game with 5:05 to play.
From there, the game went into two overtimes. Drew controlled the possession thoughout much of extra sessions, but it was Musynske who came away as the hero.
With the seconds ticking down in the second overtime, Musynske thread the needle between two defenders from the left wing, beating Drew goalkeeper Charlie DiSocio to win the game for the Garnet.
For Drew, Jon Buckman and Reading both scored two goals.
The Garnet have now won three consecutive games.
Swarthmore finished with a 33-26 edge in groundballs, while Drew won the faceoff battle 11-9
The Garnet will look to make it four straight when it travels to Gettysburg to battle the second-ranked Bullets. Action begins at 5:00 p.m.