Women's Lacrosse Battles #15 NYIT From Start to Finish; Three Late Goals Lift Bears Past Warriors, 6-5

Women's Lacrosse Battles #15 NYIT From Start to Finish; Three Late Goals Lift Bears Past Warriors, 6-5

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OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Merrimack College women's lacrosse team raced out to a three-goal lead and battled valiantly against the 15th-ranked team in the country, but host NYIT edged ahead with just under three minutes to play and withheld a late Warrior comeback to give the Bears a 6-5 victory over visiting Merrimack on Tuesday afternoon at President's Stadium.

The Basics
 Score: NYIT 6, Merrimack 5
Records: Merrimack (0-1) | #15 NYIT (2-0)
Location: President's Stadium | Old Westbury, N.Y.

Key Moments

  • Despite playing its first game in nearly 10 months, Merrimack was clicking on all cylinders in the early goings, as the Warriors edged out to a 3-0 lead just past the 11th-minute mark.
  • NYIT would net the game's final three goals to erase a two-goal second-half deficit and eventually went ahead with 2:56 to play; the Warriors would get possession over the ensuing draw control and then retook possession with less than a minute to go, but the visitors' final two shots on their would-be game-tying goal were off target, and the horn sounded with the Bears in front by one.

How It Happened

  • Merrimack hopped out to a 3-0 lead in the game's opening minutes; freshman Kyra Schwartzman (Kennebunk, Maine) didn't need long to find the back of the net in her collegiate debut, burying a feed from senior Hunter McCarthy (Avon, Conn.) less than five minutes in to put the Warriors ahead.
  • Less than a minute later, sophomore Bridget Schofield (Littleton, Mass.) found the back of the net to increase the visitors' lead to two, a bit later she would connect with Schwartzman for the latter's second marker of the contest to make it a 3-0 lead for the Warriors inside the 11th minute of the game.
  • NYIT got on the board late in the half, but another rookie Warrior – Ally DaCosta (New Bedford, Mass.) – answered with just over a minute to play to restore Merrimack's three-goal lead. The Bears, however, would have a late strike of their own with only 29 seconds left in the half to make it a two-goal game (4-2) at the midpoint.
  • The hosts got to within one for the first time with an early second-half goal, but junior captain Annette Ruggiero (Peabody, Mass.) capitalized on a free position chance to restore Merrimack's two-goal lead (5-3) with just over 20 minutes to go.
  • That score went unchanged over the next 15 minutes, but NYIT began its comeback with a goal with just under seven minutes to play before the Bears tied it up at 5-5 with 5:03 remaining. Finally, with just under three minutes to go, Katie Meinecke's free position tally would wind up being the game-winner, as NYIT went up, 6-5, with just under three minutes left.
  • The Warriors had a chance to tie it late after winning the ensuing draw control and then retook possession with 40 seconds left, but two last-second shots were blocked and sailed wide, respectively, which allowed the Bears to preserve their lead.  

Notes and Notables

  • In addition to Schwartzman (2g) and DaCosta (1g) recording their first collegiate points, sophomore Emma Bonassar (Wallingford, Conn.) set a new career-high with four draw controls.
  • After missing all of last season, Ruggiero's goal on Tuesday was her first in nearly two years; her last marker came on April 22, 2015.
  • Merrimack caused 12 turnovers on Tuesday; last season, the team finished with double-digit turnovers on only three occasions.

Team Leaders (MC // NYIT)

  • Points: Schofield (3) // Four players (2) 
  • Goals: Schwartzman (2) // Kim Geiger/Katie Meinecke (2)
  • Assists: Schofield (2) // Lexi Ruiz/Trisha Serras (3)
  • Draw Controls: Bonassar (4) // Meinecke (3)
  • Caused Turnovers: Danielle Schweitzer (3) // Erin Smith (4)
  • Saves: Alexa Petzold (4) // Lauren Young (6)

Team Comparisons (MC // NYIT)

  • Shots (Total/SOG): 15/11 // 19/10
  • Draw Controls: 8 // 5
  • Ground Balls: 20 // 19
  • Clears: 14-21 // 15-19
  • Turnovers: 25 // 23

Up Next
 Merrimack returns home to welcome Mercy College to town on Saturday (March 4). First whistle from Martone-Mejail Field is set for 12 p.m.

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For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter and on Facebook.

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