Note: Story updated on 4/7/2018 to reflect stat corrections

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. – Travis Ford scored the game-winner with 21 seconds to play and Max McGuire made his eighth save in the closing seconds as Fairfield University Men's Lacrosse rallied past host Hofstra, 5-4, in CAA action on Friday evening on Long Island. The Stags scored the final three goals of the game – holding the Pride scoreless in the fourth quarter – to pick up the road victory.
 
The win was also the 100th career head coaching triumph for Andy Copelan. He has 82 victories as head coach of the Stags and is the program leader with a .554 win percentage in his 10 seasons at Fairfield. Copelan also picked up 18 wins in two campaigns as the head coach at Marist from 2004-05.
 
With the win, Fairfield improves to 4-8 overall and evens its CAA record at 1-1. The game marked the third consecutive one-goal contest for the Stags. Hofstra falls to 5-5 on the season and 1-1 in conference action. Tonight's 5-4 final score marked the sixth time in 10 all-time meetings between the teams that neither club scored double-digit goals. It was the Stags' lowest scoring game (combined goals) since the 2016 CAA Championship Game and lowest scoring win since another 5-4 victory over Hofstra in the 2015 campaign.
 
In addition to Ford's game-winning tally, the Stags got a pair of fourth-quarter goals from Colin Burke. Drew Murray and Spencer Noonan also rattled the cage for Fairfield. Dylan Beckwith handed out two assists, while Joe Rodrigues and Riley Peters each facilitated a goal with one assist apiece.
 
McGuire's eight-save showing capped his first career win in the cage. The defense in front of him was anchored by Noonan, who had three ground balls and a caused turnover in addition to netting his second goal of the spring, and Andrew Murrow with four ground balls and a caused turnover.
 
Hofstra's All-America goalkeeper Jack Concannon made nine saves to anchor the Pride, who entered the day as the nation's toughest defense with 7.00 goals per game allowed. Hofstra's scoring came from Dylan Alderman, Ryan Tierney, Jimmy Yanes and Brett Osman with one goal apiece.
 
The contest started with a scoreless 15 minutes of action as the game remained knotted at 0-0 after the first quarter. McGuire turned away the only Hofstra shot on goal he faced, and the defense pressured the Pride into four turnovers in the frame.

The Stags started the scoring early in the second quarter as Murray finished off a pass from Beckwith for his seventh goal of the year to put Fairfield in front, 1-0. The lead was short-lived, however, as Hofstra won the ensuing faceoff and promptly tied the game at 1-1 on a Tierney goal at the 12:12 mark. The tally capped the scoring for the half, as the remainder of the frame was highlighted by Fairfield's man-down defense – ranked seventh in the nation entering the game – forced a turnover to squash a 60-second penalty and preserve the 1-1 score entering the half. The man-down unit has ceded just six goals on 28 opportunities this spring, a penalty-kill success rate of .786.
 
Another quick strike for the Stags opened the third-quarter scoring as Fairfield turned defense into offense. A McGuire save started the Stags on the clear in transition, with Riley Peters connecting with Spencer Noonan for the goal. The marker was the second of the year and in the career of Noonan from the LSM spot, while Peters' assist was the first career point for the short-stick defensive midfielder. That goal, however, was Fairfield's last of the frame as the Pride ran off three straight tallies to carry a 4-2 advantage into the fourth quarter.
 
The Fairfield comeback began with a bang-bang play as Colin Burke was stopped by Concannon, but disrupted the ensuing Hofstra clear attempt and converted on his second chance to cut the deficit to 4-3 with 12:37 to play. Nearly five minutes later, Burke struck against with his 13th goal of the season to tie the game at 4-4 with 7:45 left.
 
The clubs traded empty possessions for the next five minutes as neither team could manage a shot on goal against stifling defense on both ends. That stretch ended with a Hofstra turnover and Fairfield clear with two minutes to play. Coach Copelan called a timeout to orchestrate his offense with 57 seconds remaining and, after Beckwith collected a contested ground ball to keep the possession alive, Rodrigues found Ford with space. The sophomore's blast – his ninth of the spring – beat Concannon and put the Stags on top, 5-4, with 21 seconds to go.
 
Hofstra won the ensuing faceoff to gain an opportunity at the equalizer and called timeout with 15 seconds to go. The ball went to Alderman out of the stoppage, but his attempt was stonewalled by McGuire, who fired the ball downfield to run out the clock on the 5-4 Fairfield triumph.
 
The Stags return to Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium to host Drexel on Saturday, April 14 at noon as the front-end of the annual Fairfield Lacrosse Military Appreciation Day doubleheader. The day will also feature Fairfield Women's Lacrosse hosting Marist in MAAC action at 3 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at FairfieldStags.com/TIX. Admission is free for all veterans, active duty military and emergency services personnel.
 
Drexel will come to Rafferty Stadium with a record of 4-6 overall and 0-2 in the CAA following a 17-9 loss to Towson tonight at Johnny Unitas Stadium.