Despite Second-Half Surge, No. 5 Stonehill Holds Off No. 7 Field Hockey, 3-2, in NE-10 Semifinals
WARRIORS POUR 13 SHOTS ON SKYHAWKS IN SECOND HALF, BUT CAN'T ERASE THREE-GOAL DEFICIT
Links: Box Score | NCAA Selection Show (Monday | 2:30 p.m.)
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Trailing by three goals late in the first half, the No. 7 and second-seeded Merrimack College field hockey team battled all the way back to within one on a late strike in the first and an early tally in the second, but No. 3 and third-seeded Stonehill withstood the second-half surge from the hosts, as the Warriors fell, 3-2, to the Skyhawks in the Northeast-10 Championship Semifinals on Friday afternoon at Marotne-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Score: Stonehill 3, Merrimack 2
Records: Merrimack (13-5) | Stonehill (18-2)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field| North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
After falling behind by three goals thanks to the efforts of a pair of Emily's – NE-10 leading goal-scorer Emily Kelly (2 goals) and fellow Skyhawk Emily Sideris (1 goal, two assists) – Merrimack awoke late in the first half to pull within two thanks to a goal from sophomore Katrina Squeri (Chelmsford, Mass.) in the 32nd minute, as the Warriors entered the break trailing, 3-1.
But as slow as the home side started the game was as fast as they came out to start the second stanza, as the Warriors overwhelmed the visitors with a multitude of scoring chances early and often, culminating in back-to-back penalty corner opportunities within the first five minutes of the second half.
Finally, after a setup from sophomore Christine Zubkus (Dover, N.H.), senior Jessica Otis (Pittsford, N.Y.) blew one past Stonehill keeper Elizabeth Genovese on a drive from the top of the circle, bringing Merrimack to within a goal with plenty of time to go.
Merrimack would control long stretches of play throughout the duration of the second stanza, including a number of scrambles in front and back-to-back shots on target that were turned away by Genovese, who finished the game with an impressive 10 saves.
But try as they would, and as close as they came to within tying it up, the Warriors were kept at bay the rest of the way. The heart-stopping moment of the night came on the final drive of the contest, after senior Candace Waldie (North Andover, Mass.) drove between defenders in the Stonehill circle and sent a drive that deflected off one player and hovered in midair to the back post, where Squeri nearly had a chance to bat it into the net for the equalizer, but just missed, and the Skyhawks were able to run out the clock from there.
A Closer Look
- After being out-shot by a 6-5 margin in the first half, the Warriors blew away Stonehill in the second half with a 13-9 edge in shot attempts, and finished with an 18-15 lead in shots
- Even more impressive was the fact that Merrimack sent 12 of those 18 shots on target, 10 of which were turned away by Genovese
- Otis led all players with four shots on target, while Kelly led the visitors with four shot attempts
- Freshman Nicole Bradley (Essex, Mass.) also got on the score sheet after setting up Squeri's goal at the end of the first, feeding a diagonal shot through traffic toward the weak-side post that Squeri managed to bury
- Sophomore Madison Davis (San Jose, Calif.) was tested early and finished with five saves on the night, while senior Sarah Dunbar (Hubbardston, Mass.) registered a defensive save late in the game to keep the Warriors within one
Up Next
Merrimack will next await its at-large postseason fate on Monday, Nov. 11, when the NCAA Division II Field Hockey Tournament Selection Show airs live on www.NCAA.com. The online selection show will begin at 2:30 p.m. Monday afternoon.
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