NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – With the score tied at 4-4 with just over two minutes left in the second quarter, the top-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team would not allow a goal the rest of the way while scoring 11 of its own, as the Warriors improved to 3-0 on the season with a convincing 15-4 victory over No. 12 LIU Post on Saturday at Merrimack Stadium.
The Basics
Score: #1 Merrimack 15, #12 LIU Post 4
Records: #1 Merrimack (3-0, 0-0 NE10) | #12 LIU Post (2-2, 0-0 ECC)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | Merrimack Stadium
Attendance: 359
Duration: 1:50
Rapid Recap
- Merrimack ripped off two goals in the first three-plus minutes of regulation to build an early lead, but the Pioneers would score two out of the remaining three first-quarter goals, including one with just 14 seconds left in the frame, to make it a 3-2 lead for the Warriors heading to the second.
- LIU Post tied it up early in the second, but Merrimack answered halfway through the quarter to go back up by a goal. The Pioneers had another response, tying the game at 4-all with just over two minutes left in the half. That, however, was the last time LIU Post would find the back of the net. Merrimack would take a two-goal lead into halftime with a pair of late strikes, and that momentum would stay with the home side the rest of the way.
- The Warriors would have all six goals in the third quarter, with two apiece coming from senior Jack Trask and sophomore Charlie Bertrand, as the Warriors tallied their second man-up goal of the game during that stretch as well to make it a 12-4 lead after 45 minutes.
- Merrimack added three more to round out its offensive onslaught in the final stanza, with senior Bailey Walsh rounding out his second career hat trick; on the other end, freshman Peter Brown turned in a clean sheet over the final 32 minutes of regulation.
Top Performances
- For the third straight game to start his college career, rookie Sean Black led all Warriors in scoring with six points on two goals and four helpers.
- Walsh and Bertrand posted hat tricks – the latter doing so for the third time this season and the former doing so for the second time in his career – to represent the Warriors' top goal-scorers. Black, Trask, seniors Hunter Schmell and Blake Boudreau and junior Michael O'Connell also found the back of the net for the home side.
- Freshman Christian Thomas was another top playmaker for the Warriors in dishing a career-high three assists, one shy of Black for the game lead.
- Brown was stellar in net, allowing just four goals while pitching a shutout over the final 32 minutes of the contest. He made eight saves in what was his first collegiate start.
- Boudreau dominated the X, winning two thirds of the draws against (14-of-21), while senior and long stick midfielder Eric Coburn recorded a team-high seven ground balls, tying his career-high. He was also one of four Warriors to cause two turnovers.
Notes and Numbers
- Black moved into sole possession of first place in the NE10 in scoring after his six-point outing; he now has 20 points on the year (7g, 13a). Bertrand remained first in the conference in goals (12) and sits fourth in overall scoring (16).
- Merrimack out-shot LIU Post by a 40-22 margin and limited the Pioneers to only 12 shots on net. Merrimack also finished 2-for-3 in man-up opportunities, won 16-of-23 faceoffs and outgained LIU Post in ground balls by a 39-22 margin.
- Merrimack has won the last 15 games it has scored 10 or more goals in; its last loss when posting a double-digit scoring total was in double overtime against Le Moyne (12-11) on March 18, 2017.
- The Warriors were 14-of-16 on clearing attempts on Saturday, as well.
- Merrimack won its sixth straight game against LIU Post, with Saturday's result being the most lopsided win in that span.
Up Next
Merrimack concludes its three-game homestand and opens its Northeast-10 Conference slate next weekend when it plays host to the College of Saint Rose at 1 p.m.
