Nine-Goal Third Pushes #3 Men's Lacrosse Past Franklin Pierce in 15-10 Road Win Tuesday
Links: Box Score
RINDGE, N.H. – With the game all even at 4-4 at halftime, the third-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team exploded for nine goals in the third quarter en route to a 15-10 road victory at Franklin Pierce on Tuesday afternoon at Sodexo Field. The win keeps the Warriors improve to 6-0 on the season and sets up a clash of league unbeaten on Saturday against sixth-ranked Le Moyne.
The Basics
Score: #3 Merrimack 15, Franklin Pierce 10
Records: #3 Merrimack (6-0, 5-0 NE-10) | Franklin Pierce (5-2, 2-2 NE-10)
Location: Sodexo Field | Rindge, N.H.
What They Said
Head Coach Mike Morgan: "I thought we came up with some key adjustments at halftime and our execution to start the second half was the difference in the game. Franklin Pierce is one of the most improved teams in our conference and in the country from last year. To find ourselves in a hostile environment and after they [FPU] started to get some momentum going their way, for us to respond the way we did in the third quarter showed the resiliency and character of this group."
How It Happened
Coming off the biggest win of the season on Saturday – a 13-12 overtime victory at previously undefeated Adelphi – and with a huge home match looming against Le Moyne this Saturday, Merrimack first had to set its sights on Franklin Pierce, which had been garnering votes in the last two USILA National Rankings and is one of the most improved teams in the conference last year.
But the Warriors showed right out of the gate that they weren't looking past their challenge with the Ravens, as sophomore Max Allen (West Caldwell, N.J.) and junior Tim Towler (Topsfield, Mass.) tickled the twine within a four-minute span to stake the visitors a 2-0 lead at the onset.
Following a Franklin Pierce tally, sophomore Tucker Schwarz (Tallahassee, Fla.) buried back-to-back markers in less than a minute before FPU closed out the first quarter with one final, as Merrimack carried a 4-2 lead into the first intermission.
Despite attempting 13 shots in the second quarter, FPU goalkeeper Don Denman recorded 11 of his 22 saves in the frame to stymy the Warrior attack. Riding that hot hand, the Ravens managed to get two more goals back, as both sides went to the locker room tied at 4-all after 30 minutes of play.
That, however, was the last time the game would be that close, as Merrimack erupted for nine goals in the third quarter to build itself a seven-goal lead it would never relinquish. Towler struck for the third and fourth of his game-high four goals to start the frame before classmate and captain Scott Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) notched his second of the season midway through the period. Junior Evan Zakow (South Huntington, N.Y.) notched his second career goal with 5:33 to go in the frame before Allen connected for successive goals to get the visitors in the double-digit range (10-6).
Merrimack closed out the quarter with one of its most impressive quick-scoring bursts of the year, as Towler found the back of the net with 44 seconds left before senior Jamie Shand (Massapequa, N.Y.) one-upped him with two goals in the span of 18 seconds, scoring at 0:19 and 0:01 to close out the period with the Warriors leading, 13-6.
In the fourth, Zakow and senior Kyle Guilbert (Walpole, Mass.) would add two more insurance tallies before the final horn sounded.
Inside The Numbers
- Towler's four goals led all players, while Allen registered his fourth hat trick of the year and Zakow, Shand and Schwarz all posted two-goal efforts, as well
- In addition to his two goals, Shand dished out two assists to finish with four points to tie Towler for the game lead; Guilbert also posted a pair of helpers, while freshman Dean Prouty (Hanover, Mass.) earned his first collegiate point with an assist
- Sophomore Dom Madonna (Liverpool, N.Y.) earned his sixth win in as many tries in net, finishing with six saves before giving way to senior Morgan Green (Portsmouth, R.I.) for the final 20:33; the latter also turned away six stops
- Merrimack outshot FPU, 46-29, and finished 3-for-7 on man-up offense while FPU's finished 2-for-5 with extra-man opportunities
- Merrimack was successful on 16-of-18 clears and outgained FPU, 36-26, in ground balls
- Sophomore Danny Loprete (Watertown, Mass.) saw all of the action on the X, finishing an even 14-for-28 (50.0%) in faceoffs
Up Next
Merrimack returns home for the first time in two weeks this Saturday (March 28) when it hosts NE-10 rival and seventh-ranked Le Moyne in a matchup of two teams with unblemished league records. The team will host its annual Alumni Game at 10:30 a.m. prior to the women's lacrosse team's 1 p.m. showdown against Southern Connecticut. Also on Saturday, the Warriors will honor their nine members of the Class of 2015 as part of Senior Day, and at halftime, former Warrior Greg Rogowski ('09) will be honored by the Northeast-10 Conference after being named to the league's Hall of Fame Class of 2014 last June.
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