WALTHAM, Mass. – Behind three first-half goals and a 13-save effort from sophomore
Katharina Ohmen (Bremen, Germany), the ninth-ranked Merrimack College field hockey team recorded its first win of 2017 with a 3-2 triumph over Bentley University on Wednesday evening in non-conference action from Waltham, Mass. The victory marked the first of the career for first-year head coach
Megan Shea.
The Basics
Score: #9 Merrimack 3, Bentley 2
Records: #9 Merrimack (1-1) | Bentley (0-2)
Location: Bentley Turf Field | Waltham, Mass.
Rapid Recap
- After combing for seven of Merrimack's eight shots in Saturday's opener, senior Mikayla Panneton (Andover, Mass.) struck an attempt that was saved in the sixth minute, but Taylor Simpson (York, Maine) punched home the loose ball in front to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead just six minutes in
- Five minutes later, junior Delaney Yule (Southbury, Conn.) was on the receiving end of a penalty-corner service from Mary McNeil (Canton, Mass.). Yule's right-handed shot took a deflection and hit the back of the net to double the Warriors' lead
- A last-minute gasp in the opening half tripled the Navy and Gold's lead when senior Rylie Hammond (Phillipston, Mass.) took a shot from 10 yards out that hit a stick, deflecting up and over the Bentley keeper to make it 3-0 contest with four seconds remaining on the clock
- Two goals over the first 18-plus minutes of the second stanza allowed the hosts to cut the deficit to one. The opening tally came off a rebound just 34 seconds into the half
- Sophomore goalkeeper Katharina Ohmen (Bremen, Germany) collected nine second-half saves, including a trio of consecutive stops over a 14-second window with less than five minutes to play to preserve Merrimack's victory
Team Leaders (MC // BEN)
- Goals: Three tied (1) // Sam Pavano & Rebecca Schroder (1)
- Assists: Mary McNeil & Taylor Simpson (1) // None
- Points: Simpson (3) // Sam Pavano & Rebecca Schroder (2)
- Defensive Saves: None // None
- Saves: Katharina Ohmen (13) // Jana Mones (4)
Notes and Notables
- Ohmen recorded her third-ever double-digit save performance on Wednesday, while the 13 stops marked the second-most of her career
- Simpson's three-point effort marked the senior's 12th game with at least three points over her four-year career. She moved in third place all-time at Merrimack in career points (88), and continued to close in on becoming the fourth Warrior ever with 100 in a career
- Moving up in Merrimack's record book as well, Hammond's first goal of the year increased her career total to 31, the sixth-most in Warriors history
- After Division I stops at New Hampshire, Columbia and Northeastern, Shea's win Wednesday marked the first of her debut campaign running Merrimack's program
Up Next
Merrimack plays in its home opener on Friday night under the lights at Martone-Mejail when the Warriors take on Franklin Pierce University in non-league action at 7 p.m.
