No. 9 Field Hockey Shuts Out Ninth-Ranked Bentley, 3-0, Wednesday Night
WARRIORS DOMINATE FALCONS IN 3-0 SHUTOUT VICTORY WEDNESDAY AT HOME
Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Highlighted by a dominant defense showing and a combination of four different point-scorers on offense, the ninth-ranked Merrimack College field hockey team dominated also-ninth-ranked Bentley University, 3-0, in a Wednesday night Northeast-10 Conference battle at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 3, Bentley 0
Records: Merrimack (7-4, 3-1 NE-10) | Bentley (7-4, 1-2 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
While four different players tallied at least a point in Wednesday night's all-around complete victory, the star of the show was the defense, which posted its second shutout of the season in absolutely suffocating fashion on Wednesday night.
The Warriors yielded just five shot attempts to the visiting Falcons, with a meager three on target, but even more eye-popping was the fact that the Warriors held a 9-0 advantage in penalty corners, indicating that Bentley's offense was hardly able to generate anything over the 70-minute span.
Meanwhile, the potent Warrior attack capitalized on the many opportunities present for them, as sophomore Taylor Ledwith (Springfield, Mass.) notched her first goal of the year in the 17th minute after senior Candace Waldie (North Andover, Mass.) tipped a shot in the midst of a penalty corner to the right post, where the former finished for the opening goal of the match.
Holding a one-goal lead at the break, Merrimack maintained possession through the second stanza before doubling the lead at 50:20. This time, rookie Maura Doyle (Merrimac, Mass.) was the beneficiary of a tipped shot from Waldie, hauling in the deflected ball near the left side and burying it to make it a 2-0 advantage.
Finally, fellow freshman Kaitlin McCauley (Newburyport, Mass.) tapped in another shot from Waldie just before it crossed the goal line in the 65th minute to round out the scoring and settle for the margin of victory.
A Closer Look
- Merrimack held an incredible 9-0 edge in penalty corners on the night
- Of the Warriors' 25 shot attempts, 11 of them were directed on target
- Bentley keeper Katie Kelley was impressive in making eight saves on the night, while Merrimack sophomore Madison Davis (San Jose, Calif.) picked up her second clean sheet with a three-save effort
- Waldie led all Warriors with three points, with the goal-scorers Ledwith, Doyle and McCauley collecting two apiece
- Waldie (5) and Doyle (4) led all Warriors in shot attempts on the night, while Gina Lirange's two attempts were good for the Falcons' team lead
Up Next
Merrimack continues conference play and rounds out a season-high two-game home stand on Friday (Oct. 11) evening, when it welcomes Southern Connecticut State to campus. First hit from Martone-Mejail Field is set for 7 p.m.
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