#5 Field Hockey Batters #10 Bentley, 5-1
WALTHAM, MA – The #5 Merrimack field hockey team captured its 11th-straight victory of the season Tuesday evening at #10 Bentley, just hours after attaining the highest national ranking in program history. The Warriors improved to 11-1 overall and 5-0 in the conference with the win. The Falcons slide to 4-6 on the year and 2-1 in league contests.
Candace Waldie (North Andover, MA) opened the game's scoring late in the first half. Waldie found the back of the net 44 seconds before the opening period expired. The sophomore tipped in a shot by Victoria DeLacey (Charlton, MA) to put Merrimack up 1-0.
The Warriors grasped to the one-goal advantage at the midway point of the game. Merrimack outshot Bentley 7-2 through 35 minutes of action. The Falcons earned five penalty corners in the first half while the visitors were awarded two.
Less than seven minutes into the second frame, the Warriors extended their lead to two goals as Jen Otis (Penacook, NH) potted her eighth score of the season. Otis knocked in a rebound after April Daugherty's (Wakefield, RI) initial shot was saved.
Sarah Salatto (Guilford, CT) increased the margin to three goals as she buried her third marker of the year 12:18 into the second half. Salatto blasted a shot from inside the penalty area past the home team's goalkeeper.
Tori Bergantino nullified the opportunity for a shutout as she put the home team on the board with 20 minutes remaining. Bergantino netted her first goal of the season to cut the Falcons' deficit to 3-1.
Daugherty restored Merrimack's three-goal edge with eight minutes left to play in the game. Daugherty finished a feed from Salatto for her team-leading 12th tally of the campaign. The goal marked the junior co-captain's 84th career point, one shy of tying the all-time program record.
Otis notched her second goal of the night in the final minutes of the match. The junior stretched the Warriors' lead to four as she scored for the ninth time this year.
Merrimack ended the game with a 19-8 advantage in shots taken in the game. The two teams each claimed eight penalty corners on the night.
Kerri Bergquist (Mashpee, MA) stopped three shots between the pipes en route to her 11th win of the season. Julia Powell made seven saves in goal for the hosts and sustained the loss.
"We played extremely well in the second half tonight and getting a goal just before halftime really helped us come out strong in the second half," said head coach Anne Rounce. "Our passing was crisp and we did a good job of working the ball up the field. We are looking forward to playing at home on Thursday."
The Warriors return from a four-game road-swing open a two-game home-stand October 6 as they welcome Franklin Pierce to Martone-Mejail Field for a Northeast-10 Conference tilt.
