Schwarz's Six-Goal Game Helps #6 Men's Lacrosse Hold off SNHU, 10-9, Wednesday at Home
Links: Highlights | Box Score | Corcoran Postgame Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Visiting Southern New Hampshire nearly played spoiler, but in the end, it was all for naught, as sophomore Tucker Schwarz (Tallahassee, Fla.) saved the day with his sixth goal of the game with just 1:06 left in regulation, helping the sixth-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team hold off the Penmen in a 10-9 league victory on Wednesday at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Score: #6 Merrimack 10, Southern N.H. 9
Records: #6 Merrimack (3-0, 2-0 NE-10) | Southern N.H. (1-2, 1-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
The phrase "game of runs" never stood truer on Wednesday, as both Merrimack and Southern New Hampshire boasted separate three-or-more goal streaks per side to highlight a back-and-forth affair.
First, though, was Merrimack; after an opening quarter that ended with both sides level at 1-1, the Warriors ultimately scored four uncontested goals from the 4:07 mark of the first until there was 10:42 left in the second frame to push the hosts ahead by a 4-1 tally.
SNHU quickly answered 20 seconds after that goal, but Merrimack would promptly respond with three more goals in a row to extend its lead to 7-2, and for a second there, it looked like another easy win for the Navy and Gold, which had outscored their opposition by an average of 10 goals per game in their previous two victories.
But the Penmen had different plans and were not about to go quietly; they started by scoring with just over a second left on the clock at the end of the half to trim the deficit to four (7-3). And then, after another Schwarz tally just 52 seconds into the third quarter, the visitors clawed back into it. Jeremy Buckley, who tallied six of his own for the Penmen, started what would turn out to be five uninterrupted goals with 11:52 to go in the penultimate period, and then four more would follow to eventually tie the match at eight goals apiece with 12:37 to go.
The fourth quarter would belong to Schwarz and Buckley alone, and the former gave the home crowd momentary reprieve when he tickled the twine again with 10:52 remaining off a feed from senior Kyle Guilbert (Walpole, Mass.) to put Merrimack back on top, 9-8.
That's what remained on the scoreboard until there were only two minutes left, and after a costly Merrimack turnover at midfield gave the ball back to the Penmen, Buckley would capitalize again on a bouncing pass from Cory Allen to make it a 9-9 game with 2:09 remaining.
On the ensuing faceoff, Merrimack would gain possession on an infraction, allowing the hosts to set up their offense with the clock winding down. The Warriors were meticulous, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike, and that eventually came after senior Jamie Shand (Massapequa, N.Y.) found Schwarz all alone on the left wing, and the latter unloaded an absolute missile that would find nothing but net, pushing Merrimack on top for good with 1:06 on the clock.
SNHU refused to go quietly and would have the last offensive opportunity of the game after a faceoff violation against the Warriors. Merrimack's defense refused to allow a shot and nearly forced a turnover, but in the middle of that chaos a penalty was called against the home side, giving the Penmen a man-up opportunity to close out the contest.
With the game on the line and the final seconds ticking away, SNHU waited the clock down until the final 10 seconds but would get nothing. The first Penmen shot soared high, and then with only 3.2 seconds left, their final chance went wide, as the final horn sounded with Merrimack ahead by one.
Inside The Numbers
- Schwarz' six goals marked the third six-goal output of the season for the Warriors, who also got two goals from sophomore Max Allen (West Caldwell, N.J.) and one each from junior Tim Towler (Topsfield, Mass.) and Guilbert
- Lost in the wild moments of regulation was the performance by the goalies, and both were quite admirable; SNHU's Crosby Nicholson was very impressive despite taking the loss, turning away 17 shots, while Merrimack sophomore Dom Madonna (Liverpool, N.Y.) finished with six saves
- Junior captain Scott Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) and senior Andy Basler (Chelmsford, Mass.) finished with two caused turnovers apiece to lead the defensive front
- It was an impressive day for junior Andrew Walsh (Derry, N.H.) on the X; he won 13-of-22 faceoffs, keeping SNHU's Patrick Goff to only a 6-of-16 performance
- Merrimack finished with a 45-21 edge in shot attempts, totaling 21 of those in the second quarter alone; the Warriors put 27 of them on net, while the Penmen threw 15 of their shots on target
- On special teams, Merrimack finished 1-for-4 while up a man and kept SNHU in check on its only two EMO's
- Both sides finished 15-for-17 on clears, while the Warriors outgained SNHU by a 28-25 margin in ground balls
Up Next
Merrimack rounds out its season-opening four-game homestand this Saturday (March 14) when it continues league play against upstart Pace at 12 p.m.
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