Women's Lacrosse Pulls Away from Pace in 12-9 Win
Links: Box Score
PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – After playing to a 7-7 tie through the first half, the Merrimack College women's lacrosse team pulled away with four uninterrupted goals to start the second half and allowed just two more the rest of the way to pick up a 12-9 Northeast-10 Conference victory at Pace on Saturday afternoon.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 12, Pace 9
Records: Merrimack (4-5, 1-4 NE-10) | Pace (5-3, 2-3 NE-10)
Location: Pace Stadium | Pleasantville, N.Y.
How It Happened
In search of its first conference win of the season, Merrimack made the Saturday afternoon trip down to New York to take on the Setters, as the Warriors made their first-ever trip to Pace Stadium.
The game started slowly for the Warriors, who found themselves down by three goals halfway through the period. Senior Shealyn Anthony (Stoneham, Mass.) buried a free position shot to get the visitors on the board, and sophomore Carly McKenna (Saco, Maine) made it a one-goal game before the Setters upped the lead back to three.
Senior Danielle Riley (West Point, N.Y.) and junior Meghan Wiseman (Arlington, Mass.) would help get the Warriors back in the game with successive strikes in an eight-second span, but the Setters restored their three-goal cushion and maintained that lead until the final two minutes of the half.
That was when the Warriors made their game-changing run of the afternoon, as junior Hunter McCarthy (Avon, Conn.) scored an unassisted tally just inside the two-minute mark to change the tide of momentum. McCarthy would then set up Riley's second goal of the afternoon with 1:33 left in the half, and would do likewise on Wiseman's second of the game with time winding down, as a three-goal spurt in the span of 1:59 had the Warriors and Setters even at 7-all heading into the break.
Merrimack pushed ahead for good by dominating the first 14 minutes of the second half, goals from McCarthy, Riley, and freshmen Bridget Schofield (Littleton, Mass.) and Amber Feminella (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) gave the visitors a four-goal lead (11-7).
Pace would respond with two goals in two minutes, but the hosts would never get closer, as Schofield added some insurance with an unassisted marker with 1:44 to play, and the defense – anchored by freshman Lauren Trepaney (Nashua, N.H.) and her seven second-half saves – would hang on for the victory.
Notes and Numbers
- McCarthy and Riley enjoyed big days offensively; the former posted a team-high five points on two goals and three helpers, while the latter notched her third career hat trick
- Wiseman (2g, 1a), Feminella (1g, 1a) and Schofield (2g) also had multi-point performances, with the latter finishing with a game-high seven draw controls
- Junior captain Clare Blomberg (Wading River, N.Y.) dished a career-high two assists, while freshman defender Michelle Nadeau (Longmeadow, Mass.) led the team with a career-high five ground balls and three caused turnovers
- In net, Petzold earned her first collegiate win on a seven-save performance over 37:12 of action, while counterpart Alissa Silvestri finished with six stops for the Setters
- SOG: Merrimack – 18 // PAC – 19
- Ground Balls: Merrimack – 14 // PAC – 23
- Draw Controls: Merrimack – 12 // PAC – 10
- Clears: Merrimack (11-for-19) // Pace (12-for-17)
Up Next
Merrimack will stay on the road and head to the Granite State for a Tuesday (April 5) afternoon league showdown against Franklin Pierce. First whistle is set for 3:30 p.m.
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