Field Hockey Puts Four-Game Win Streak on the Line at No. 5 LIU Post Sunday
WARRIORS LOOK TO HAND PIONEERS FIRST LOSS OF 2013 IN NE-10 CLASH SUNDAY MORNING
Links: Live Stats
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Looking to extend its season-high four-game winning streak and remain perfect in Northeast-10 Conference play, the Merrimack College field hockey team travels to Long Island to face unbeaten and No. 5 nationally ranked LIU Post in a road conference battle Sunday morning. First whistle is set for 11 a.m.
The Basics
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 6, 2013 | 11 a.m.
Records: Merrimack (6-3, 2-0 NE-10) | LIU Post (8-0, 3-0 NE-10)
Location: Hickox Field | Brookville, N.Y.
Last Time Out
All even at two goals apiece with less than five minutes to play, sophomore midfielder Christine Zubkus (Dover, N.H.) tapped in the game-winner in the 67th minute before an insurance tally followed moments later, as Merrimack survived a road challenge at Franklin Pierce with a 4-2 victory over the Ravens last Tuesday night in Rindge, N.H.
All even (2-2) at the break, Merrimack maintained the majority of scoring chances throughout most of the second half and held the advantage in penalty corners as well, but the game remained tied heading into the final five minutes of play.
That was when senior Jessica Otis (Pittsford, N.Y.) ripped a shot that found Zubkus at the left post, and the latter finished the chance to seal the victory. With less than a minute to go, rookie Maura Doyle (Merrimac, Mass.) deflected a blast from Otis on a penalty corner to add one late tally to the Warriors' lead.
Last Time vs. LIU Post: LIU Post 5, Merrimack 3 (Sept. 5, 2010)
Merrimack and LIU Post have not played since the 2010 campaign when the Pioneers downed the Warriors, 5-3, in North Andover. LIU took a 2-0 advantage late in the first half but Merrimack closed the gap to one before intermission. The Warriors stormed out of the gate in the second half and tied it up on a goal from April Daugherty, and after both sides exchanged goals to make it 3-3, the Pioneers responded with the final two tallies of the match to settle for the final decision.
The Warriors:
- Have won four in a row since starting the year 2-3 through their first five
- Senior Candace Waldie's eight goals rank tied for fourth among all lead players, while her 20 points rank fifth
- Otis, meanwhile, is one assist shy of the league lead; the senior has tallied eight assists and 22 points – fourth most in the conference – through nine games
- Sophomore Madison Davis boasts the fourth-best GAA in the conference (1.65)
The Pioneers:
- Ranked fifth nationally and have been in the NFHCA top-10 national rankings all season long
- Are a perfect 8-0 to start the year, including 3-0 in conference play
- Have allowed just five goals in eight games and have blanked their last two opponents
- Rank first in both scoring offense (4.8) and scoring defense (0.62)
- Carlee Dragon's 12 goals rank second in the conference, while Keliann Margiotta's nine assists lead the league. Dragon (31) and Margiotta (25) rank second and third, respectively, among all conference scorers
- Goalkeeper Ericka Parks owns the best save percentage (.941) and goals-against average (0.24) in the league
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