#3 Men's Lacrosse Cruises to 27-2 Win over AIC in League Opener Sunday Afternoon
Links: Box Score | Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The third-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team scored 10 goals in both the second and third quarters to highlight the program's most proficient offensive outing in 16 years, as the Warriors took their Northeast-10 Conference opener by a 27-2 margin against American International on Sunday at Martone-Mejail Field.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 27, American Int'l 2
Records: #3 Merrimack (2-0, 1-0 NE-10) | American Int'l (0-2, 0-1 NE-10)
Location: Martone-Mejail Field | North Andover, Mass.
How It Happened
One week after edging then-No. 3 LIU Post in thrilling fashion to open the season, Merrimack turned its sights to the NE-10 slate, which began against AIC on Sunday at home.
Goals early and often helped the Warriors jump out to a 5-0 lead after one period, and AIC would get on the board with just over five minutes left in the half to get to within six. But the W arriors would score eight goals in the final four minutes of the half to roar out to a 15-1 advantage.
The Warriors would eventually churn out 20 uninterrupted markers from the 4:32 mark of the second period until the 2:31 mark of the fourth quarter, as 15 different Warriors found the back of the net – including several who were scoring for the first time – on the way to victory.
Notes and Numbers
- The 27 goals were the most in a game for the Warriors since defeating AIC by a 27-3 score back during the 2000 season, when head coach Mike Morgan was a senior on that squad
- Junior attack Max Allen (West Caldwell, N.J.) set a new career-high with a seven-point outing, finishing with four goals and three assists
- Classmate John Bassett (Clifton Park, N.Y.) also matched his career-high scoring total after notching four points and his second career hat trick
- Five Warriors scored their first career goals on Sunday: freshmen Seamus Ford (Walpole, Mass.), Michael O'Connell (Sudbury, Mass.), Jacob Howes (Trumbull, Conn.) and Derick Tinsley (Shrewsbury, Mass.), the latter of which had a hat trick, as well as junior Bobby O'Brien (Duxbury, Mass.)
- Other two-goal scorers included sophomore Kyle Stenberg (Annandale, N.J.), junior Jack Trask (Colorado Spring, Colo.), Howes, Ford, and O'Connell
- All three goalkeepers on the roster saw time, as junior Sam Ventresca (Woburn, Mass.) got the win before giving way to sophomores Mitch Green (Manchester, N.H.) and James Biegel (Gorham, Maine) – the latter of whom made his collegiate debut and finished with a save
- EMO: Merrimack (3-4) // AIC (0-5)
- SOG: Merrimack – 50 // AIC – 8
- Faceoffs: MC – Blake Boudreau 16-of-21 (76.2%) | AIC – Michael Palmieri 9-of-31 (29.03%)
- Ground Balls: Merrimack – 29 // AIC – 11
- Clears: Merrimack (6-for-7) // AIC (8-for-20)
Up Next
Merrimack returns to the turf in six days when it visits Southern New Hampshire for a Saturday (March 5) afternoon conference clash in Manchester. First whistle is set for 4 p.m.
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