Score: UAlbany 11, Drexel 7
 
Location: Tom & Mary Casey Stadium in Albany, N.Y.
 
Records: UAlbany (1-2) | Drexel (1-2)
 
Short Story: UAlbany men's lacrosse head coach Scott Marr claims his 200th career victory, with the Great Danes knocking off visiting Drexel for the team's first win of 2023.
 
Key Stats

• Scott Marr won his 200th career game as a head coach, all at UAlbany
• Jack Pucci scored four goals
• Graydon Hogg and Silas Richmond each scored twice
• Jack VanValkenburgh made seven stops in net for his first goalkeeper win of the season
• UAlbany outshot Drexel 13-3 in the first quarter, and 36-31 overall
• Drexel committed 23 turnovers
• UAlbany went 23-23 on clear attempts

Head Coach Scott Marr: "This team is now 1-2 and we got our first win under our belts.  It felt really, really good for this team to come out on the winning side after losing the first two.  The pressure was on us in general to get a win today.  We knew Drexel was going to fight, and that it was going to be kind of a sloppy game in a sense with the weather.  I thought we handled the adversity of the second period pretty well, and then we came out in the third quarter and scored a couple of quick goals and kind of took back the game in a way.  I thought we played a really, really solid game defensively.  We did not give them an inch to breathe on offense, and we scored some timely goals.  It was one of those days for us where everybody really stepped in and contributed."
 
Marr on Win 200: "Today was the number one victory for this team, which is really all we're concerned about.  The 200 for me, personally, shows how many wonderful people I've been around for 23 years putting in the hard work from my coaches to our administrators.  Dr. Lee McElroy and his wife Karen gave me the opportunity 23 years ago and then Mark Benson these last eight years.  I've had a lot of support and a lot of really, really good players that have helped us get to 200.  So, I thank all the former athletes who have come through and all of my former coaches as well for making today possible."
 
How it Happened
The UAlbany men's lacrosse team renewed one of its longest-standing rivalries on Saturday when Drexel paid a visit to Tom & Mary Casey Stadium.  The Dragons had ended a six-game winning streak in the series for UAlbany a season ago, and in 20 previous meetings between the two teams in UAlbany's Division I era, only seven had been decided by more than three goals.

• UAlbany jumped out to an early lead when Thomas Decker scored, unassisted, just 45 seconds after the opening faceoff.  Ten minutes would elapse before UAlbany scored again, an unassisted effort from Graydon Hogg, followed by another unassisted score from Amos Whitcomb.
• After Whitcomb's goal with 4:08 left in the first, the Great Danes led 3-0, having held Drexel in check on the Dragons' offensive end.  By the end of the first quarter, UAlbany's defense had kept Drexel away from the net and surrendered just three shots.
• Drexel regrouped to start the second quarter, taking four shots in the first two minutes of the period, the last of which found the back of the net for the Dragons' first score of the afternoon.  Drexel would turn the tables on UAlbany offensively in the second, outshooting the Great Danes 14-7.
• UAlbany responded to Drexel's first goal by scoring two-straight with 12:13 and 10:24 remaining before halftime.  Eight minutes later, Drexel scored twice in the final three minutes to close within two at the break.
• The third quarter opened with two-straight goals from UAlbany.  First, Jack Pucci scored his second of four total goals on the afternoon with 11:18 left in the quarter, and next, Hogg scored his second with 6:59 to go.
• With 3:08 in the third, Drexel scored to close within 7-4, and further to 7-5 with 2:20 left in the quarter.  Silas Richmond scored in transition off a feed from Jake Piseno with 1:22 in the quarter to put UAlbany back up by three, 8-5, heading into the fourth.
• Pucci scored to give UAlbany a four-goal cushion less than two minutes into the final period.  Drexel scored to close within three, before Richmond and Pucci scored consecutively to put UAlbany ahead and out of reach, 11-6.  Drexel added one final goal with 2:35 remaining to bring the final score to 11-7.
• UAlbany was a perfect 23-23 on clear attempts against the Dragons, and ended with a slight advantage in shots taken, 36-31.  In goal, Jack VanValkenburgh made his first start of the season, and earned his second career victory behind six saves. 

Game Notes

• Head Coach Scott Marr reaches career win 200 in his 23rd season and now holds an overall record of 200-143.  All of Marr's victories as head coach have come at UAlbany.
• Marr has averaged more than nine wins per year in his career.
• Marr ranks eighth among active Division I head coaches in career victories.
• Marr is the 40th Division I head coach to hit the 200-win milestone. 

Next: UAlbany hosts #18 UMass on March 7.