#5 Men's Lacrosse Responds with Resounding 11-2 Road Win at St. Michael's Wednesday
Links: Box Score
COLCHESTER, Vt. – After suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday, the fifth-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team had only four days to regroup with a challenging week ahead against an upstart league foe and last year's national runner-up, both of which were on the road. To say the Warriors answered the bell would be an understatement, as Merrimack cruised to an 11-2 victory against Saint Michael's on Wednesday afternoon at Duffy Field.
The Basics
Score: #5 Merrimack 11, St. Michael's 2
Records: #5 Merrimack (7-1, 6-1 NE-10) | St. Michael's (4-3, 3-2 NE-10)
Location: Duffy Field | Colchester, Vt.
What They Said
Head Coach Mike Morgan: "We were disciplined and poised offensively, and on defense we played as well as we have all season. Without a doubt, we definitely responded and played as a team on both sides of the ball against a solid team. The work isn't done yet this week, as we have another equally important game on Saturday in Long Island."
How It Happened
Wednesday's game, for the majority of it, was a defensive affair, but that was just fine with the Warriors, who allowed the fewest goals in a single game since a 13-2 victory against Franklin Pierce last March.
Neither side scored until 4:43 remained on the board in the first quarter, and that would be it for the first frame. Holding just a 1-0 lead, Merrimack added two more to its tally when junior Tim Towler (Topsfield, Mass.) and sophomore Tucker Schwarz (Tallahassee, Fla.) struck within an eight-minute span, giving the visitors a 3-0 halftime advantage.
The defensive battle ensued into the second half, but sophomore Dom Madonna (Liverpool, N.Y.) continued to shine with two more of his eight saves. That gave junior transfer Hunter Schmell (Woodstock, Vt.) and sophomore Brennen Morin (Wilbraham, Mass.) the opportunity to score their first career goals at the 6:11 and 4:26 mark, respectively, to stake the Warriors a 5-0 lead after 45 minutes.
Two more goals padded the lead to 7-0 at the start of the fourth before Ben Overslaugh finally got the Purple Knights on the board with 8:22 to play. That was answered by goals from senior Jamie Shand (Massapequa, N.Y.), sophomore Max Allen (West Caldwell, N.J.), Schwarz and sophomore John Bassett (Clifton Park, N.Y.) before one last marker from the hosts round out the nine-goal Merrimack victory.
Inside The Numbers
- Merrimack outshot St. Michael's by a 46-25 margin and won 10-of-16 faceoffs highlighted by junior Andrew Walsh (Derry, N.H.) winning 10-of-15 (66.6%) of his draws
- St. Michael's netminder T.J. Bicknell was impressive with 23 stops, while the Purple Knights committed 31 turnovers compared to Merrimack's 23
- Merrimack was successful on 16-of-25 clears (64.0%) and led in ground balls, 43-34
- Junior captain Scott Corcoran (Haverhill, Mass.) caused a team-high three turnovers, as both sides' defense forced 11 miscues
- Merrimack's man-up offense went 1-for-7 and its man-up defense kept St. Michael's to 1-of-2 on the day
Up Next
The Warriors will gear up for another huge regional showdown on Saturday (April 4), as Merrimack will meet up with last year's national runner-up, No. 7 LIU Post, on Long Island. Opening whistle is set for 12 p.m.
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