Late Rally Not Enough as Women's Lacrosse Falls, 12-10, vs. Saint Leo Wednesday Night
Links: Box Score
SAINT LEO, FLA. – The Merrimack women's lacrosse team endured two 30-minute lightning delays and a 15-minute light delay in an eventful non-conference matchup with the University of Saint Leo Lions from the Univeristy Turf Stadium on Wednesday night. The Warriors scored the final three goals of the game in a valiant comeback attempt, before falling by a final score of 12-10.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 10 | Saint Leo 12
Records: Merrimack (2-1) | Saint Leo (4-2)
Location: University Turf Stadium | Saint Leo, Fla.
How It Happened
Both teams had to battle adversity on and off the field to begin the game, as the 7:00 first draw control did not get underway due to lightning in the Saint Leo, Fla. area. The contest began at 7:30, with the Warriors striking first. Less than two minutes into the game, freshman Annette Ruggiero (Peabody, Mass.) scored her sixth of the year to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage.
The Lions responded with four unanswered goals and Saint Leo led 4-1 with 18:29 to play in the half. Merrimack's leading scorer Hunter McCarthy (Avon, Conn.) ended the run with her eighth goal of the season. After that goal, another lightning bolt struck, and the squads were forced to sit out the mandated half-an-hour delay.
When play resumed, the Warriors snatched momentum. McCarthy and junior Aubrie Stouffer (Souderton, Pa.) scored back-to-back goals and suddenly the game was tied, 4-4, with 12:28 to play in the half. The Lions took a timeout and scored twice to close out the half leading 6-4.
The Warriors opening up the scoring in the second stanza as Ruggiero netted her second of the game less than two minutes into the final half. Christina Minneci and Kelsey Burns responded with consecutive tallies, including Burns' fourth of the night, to push the Lions' advantage back to three at 8-5. Stouffer ended the brief Saint Leo run with a goal and the score read 8-6 with 18:06 to play.
For the third time of the night, the team's endured a delay as the lights went out at University Turf Stadium following Stouffer's second-half tally. On the other side of the delay, the Lions continued to add on to their lead, as the score sat at 11-6 Saint Leo with less than 10 minutes to play.
With 7:34 to play, McCarthy scored another goal off a free position, which cut the deficit to four. McCarthy now has three hat tricks in each of the first three games of the season. Three goals in a span of 59 seconds from Stouffer and Valerie Dayton (Belmont, Mass.), and suddenly the Warriors dwindled the deficit down to two at 12-10 with 2:49 to play.
The Warriors late-game run ended there. Saint Leo controlled possession for the majority of the final 2:49 and Merrimack could not get closer than the 12-10 final.
Inside The Numbers
- Stouffer and McCarthy are quickly developing into a potent combination on the attack. The former now leads the team with 11 goals, all of which have come in the last two games. The latter has notched three consecutive hat tricks, joining Stouffer in double digits with 10 goals
- The Warriors grasped a 14-11 edge in draw controls, while the teams finished with 16 ground balls apiece. The Navy and Gold struggled in the clearing game and in the turnover department. Merrimack finished with only four successful clears on nine attempts, contributing to 17 turnovers
- Freshman goalkeeper Alexa Petzold (Ridgewood, N.J.) lost for the first time in her career. She finished six saves, one ground ball and three turnovers
- Sophomore defender Clare Blomberg (Wading River, N.Y.) led the team with three caused turnovers. Senior captain Olivia Coakley (Bridgewater, Mass.) paced the squad with three ground balls, while Meghan Wiseman (Arlington, Mass.) led all players with four draw controls
Up Next
The Warriors return home on Saturday afternoon to take on Pace at 1 p.m. The Setters are in their inaugural season and the game marks the Northeast-10 Conference opener for both teams.
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