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Delaney Yule Comments
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.  – The No. 4 Merrimack College field hockey program dug out of a 2-1 halftime hole on Saturday afternoon, scoring twice in the second stanza including the game-winning goal off the stick of senior
Delaney Yule to defeat No. 10 LIU Post, 3-2, at Merrimack Stadium. The victory extended the program's winning streak to eight games – equaling the longest for the program since 2015 – and picked up just their second-ever win over LIU Post and first since 2005. Saturday's game was a rematch of last season's Northeast-10 Conference Championship opening-round tilt, which went in favor of LIU.
The contest started quickly for the Pioneers, with LIU scoring on its first shot of the game in the first minute. The Warriors dominated the majority of the rest of the half, attempting the half's next nine shots including an equalizing goal for freshman
Alex McDonald. The Pioneers scored again, however, to take a 2-1 lead into intermission
Merrimack needed just seven minutes to tie the game in the second half, when senior
Mary McNeil netted her team-leading 13
th tally of the season. Later in the half and after inserting a penalty corner, Yule trekked towards the post and one-timed a feed from McNeil into a wide-open net to give the Warriors their first lead. Junior goalkeeper
Katharina Ohmen notched two second-half save – both of which were on partial breakaways – to preserve the win.
The Basics
Score: #4 Merrimack 3, #10 LIU Post 2
Records: #4 Merrimack (9-1, 5-0 NE10) | #10 LIU Post (6-3, 4-2 NE10)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Merrimack Stadium
Scoring Summary
- LIU (1-0) – The Pioneers' Emily Miller corralled a loose ball at the near post, and sent a shot that went through Ohmen's legs at the 52-second mark to give the Pioneers an early lead
- MC (1-1) – In a sea of white defenders, McDonald pounced on a ball in the attacking zone, and sent it inside the left post to tie the game with seven minutes remaining in the half
- LIU (2-1) – LIU took an advantage of a quick restart as Tarryn Morris found a cutting Miller, who redirected the feed into the net to enter halftime with an advantage
- MC (2-2) – With just under 28 minute left in regulation, McNeil carried possession in the offensive zone, curled around Pioneer defenders before beating sophomore goalkeeper Rachel Vellis to tie the game
- MC (3-2) – McNeil also had a major part in the game-winner. Her sprawling effort five yards from the goal mouth led to the ball reaching Yule at the left post, who left no doubt in the result by smashing a shot home that proved to be the deciding tally
Top Performers
- After going scoreless for nine games, Yule broke through for her first strike of the year. The starting center back registered her sixth career goal, and second of the game-winning variety
- McNeil increased her conference lead in assists to eight after entering the weekend as the nation's leader in assists per game. The Canton, Mass. native now has five straight multi-point games and eight overall this year
- McDonald made her collegiate debut on Saturday, and scored on her first-ever shot
- Ohmen only needed to make two saves, but both occurred with Merrimack holding a one-goal lead. Her counterpart, Vellis, made a game-high 10 saves
Notes and Notables
- McNeil's assist marked the 36th of her career, moving her within one of tying April Daugherty's '12 program record (37)
- At 9-1 through 10 games, the Warriors matched the 2011 squad's 9-1 start as the best 10-game start to a season in program history
- The program's only other win against the Pioneers came in October of 2005, when the institution was referred to as C.W. Post. On that day, Merrimack claimed a 1-0 victory
- Saturday's win snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Pioneers
Up Next
The Warriors begin a three-game road swing on Wednesday night, when Merrimack travels to Assumption to face the Greyhounds at 7 p.m. in Worcester, Mass. Â
