Field Hockey Faces Bentley Tuesday Night in Waltham
Links: Live Stats
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – With only three games to play in the regular season, the Merrimack College field hockey team opens a crucial penultimate week of competition with a road trip to nearby rival Bentley for a Northeast-10 Conference showdown on Tuesday night in Waltham.
The Basics
Date/Time: Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 | 7 p.m.
Records: Merrimack (8-6, 4-4 NE-10) | Bentley (6-8, 2-5 NE-10)
Location: Bentley Field | Waltham, Mass.
NE-10 Championship Outlook
Standings as of 11/4/14 | Conference record only | Top-six qualify for postseason
- LIU Post (7-1)
- Stonehill (6-1) Owns head-to-head wins over Adelphi, LIU Post & St. Michael's
- Adelphi (5-2)
- Assumption (5-2)
- Saint Michael's (4-3) Owns head-to-head win over AIC
- American Int'l (4-3) Owns head-to-head win over FPU
- Franklin Pierce (4-3)
- 8. Merrimack (4-4) Owns head-to-head wins over AIC, FPU, St. Anselm
- Bentley (2-5) Owns head-to-head win over St. Anselm
- St. Anselm (2-5)
Last Time Out:
Sophomore Hannah Magerman posted a career-high three-point effort, but Merrimack allowed three second-half goals against Assumption, as the Warriors fell, 4-2, in Northeast-10 Conference action last Friday night in Worcester.
After 15 scoreless minutes, Magerman put the visitors ahead after tipping in a shot from classmate Kaitlin McCauley into the right side of the cage, giving the Warriors a 1-0 edge at 15:08.
Assumption needed only 30 seconds to draw even, but 10 minutes later, freshman Taylor Simpson took a feed from Magerman on a penalty corner and slapped in her team-leading ninth tally of the season to send the Warriors into the break with a 2-1 advantage.
Unfortunately for the Navy and Gold, that would be the last time they light the lamp all night, as Assumption tied the game again at 38:32 of the second half and went ahead for good at 49:54 off the stick of Kiley Colucci, who added an insurance tally nearly 13 minutes later to account for the final margin of defeat. Meanwhile in net, junior Madison Davis was incredible, turning in a career-high 15-save performance, while Lauren Neilan made two stops for the hosts.
Earlier This Season vs. Bentley:
Merrimack and Bentley met earlier this season (Sept. 23) in North Andover, and the Warriors used two goals in both halves to come away with a 4-0 victory.
Freshman Rylee Hammond and junior Katrina Squeri scored less than two minutes apart midway through the first stanza before rookie Taylor Simpson put the game out of reach with her first two collegiate tallies later in the second half. In net, Davis turned away four shots, as Merrimack held the Falcons to only six shots on net over the course of the game.
Click here for the full recap!
The Falcons:
- Are looking to get back in the win column for the first time in three games after dropping back-to-back one-goal decisions and a two-goal setback at first-place LIU Post
- Sitting at 2-5 in conference play, will need to win out to finish over .500 and have a chance at making the postseason
- Boast four double-digit scorers led by senior Gina Lirange (7g, 4a, 18 pts), while sophomore Tori Ellis' six assists lead the team
- Katie Kelley and Evelyn Schaedel have split time in net; the latter owns a team-leading 2.02 GAA and has gone 4-1 in seven appearances, while the former's .746 SV% tops the team
Up Next
Merrimack returns home to face Southern New Hampshire this Friday (Nov. 7) afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Prior to the game, the team will recognize its three-member Class of 2015 on Senior Day.
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