Women's Lacrosse's Rally Falls Short; Warriors Drop 8-7 Road Decision at St. Michael's
Links: Box Score
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Despite totaling 16 shots on goal and tallying five of the game's final six goals, the Merrimack College women's lacrosse team was tripped up, 8-7, by Saint Michael's College in a Wednesday afternoon Northeast-10 Conference matchup.
The Basics
Score: Saint Michael's 8, Merrimack 7
Records: Merrimack (1-3, 0-2 NE-10) | Saint Michael's (1-2, 1-1 NE-10)
Location: Duffy Field | Colchester, Vt.
How It Happened
Aiming for its first conference win after stumbling in overtime last Saturday at Southern Connecticut, Merrimack hit the road for its northward trek to Vermont to battle Saint Michael's, looking for its first win over the Purple Knights in three years.
But the hosts used strong defense to limit the Warriors to only a pair of first-half goals; on the other end, the Purple Knights raced out to a 4-0 lead and didn't allow a goal until the 5:10 mark of the first half, when freshman Bridget Schofield (Littleton, Mass.) scored off a free position to get the visitors on the board.
Classmate Amber Feminella (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) found the back of the net for the fourth time in as many games in her collegiate career off a feed from senior Danielle Riley (West Point, N.Y.) with just 1:24 to play in the half, as the Warriors trimmed the deficit to two (4-2) entering the break.
Saint Michael's, however, answered that run with a crucial three-goal stretch over the first 15 minutes of the second half, grabbing a decisive five-goal lead (7-2) that would prove to be the difference.
Feminella and Schofield would spark the rally that eventually helped the Warriors make it a one-goal game, scoring three straight markers in a two-minute span – with two coming off the stick of Feminella – before the Purple Knights restored a three-goal edge at the 7:20 mark.
The Warriors wouldn't go quietly, as Feminella added two more in the game's waning moments – including her career-high fifth goal with 57 seconds to play – but that was ultimately the closest they would get before dropping their second straight one-goal decision.
Notes and Numbers
- Feminella's found the back of the net five times for the second straight game, upping her team-leading total to 16 – a mark that ranks tied for third in the conference
- Schofield also scored twice for the second time in her rookie campaign; her last multi-goal effort came during her career-high three-point performance (2g, 1a) in the season opener
- Fellow freshman Emma Bonassar (Wallingford, Conn.) recorded the first two points of her career – both assists – on Wednesday, as well
- Both Schofield and classmate Michelle Nadeau (Longmeadow, Mass.) caused two turnovers, while Schofield led the Warriors with three draw controls
- In net, sophomore Alexa Petzold (Ridgewood, N.J.) and freshman Lauren Trepaney (Nashua, N.H.) each shared goaltending duties once again; Petzold finished with one save, while Trepaney turned away two shots
- SOG: Merrimack – 16 // SMC – 11
- Ground Balls: Merrimack – 16 // SMC– 18
- Draw Controls: Merrimack – 6 // SMC – 11
- Clears: Merrimack (13-for-18) // SMC (11-for-18)
Up Next
Merrimack will head to South Carolina for its Spring Break trip and meet Division III Albright College on Saturday (March 19) at 10 a.m., in a neutral-site matchup played at Barker Field in Hilton Head Island.
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