| Date |
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 (4 p.m.) |
| Matchup |
#2 Merrimack (8-1, 5-1 NE10)
Franklin Pierce (4-4, 2-4 NE10) |
| Location |
Merrimack Stadium
North Andover, Mass. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video |
| Social |
@MerrimackMLAX // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 2 Merrimack College men's lacrosse team will look to sweep all three New Hampshire-based Northeast-10 Conference opponents in consecutive games when it hosts Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday (April 11) at 4 p.m.
BEER GARDENS AVAILABLE FOR HOME GAMES
Merrimack is pleased to offer a 21 Beer Garden on the stadium patio for all home men's lacrosse games (opposite the press box side, closest to the Merrimack Athletics Complex). The patio opens one hour before faceoff and closes at the end of the third quarter. Light snacks are also available for purchase.
Inside the Series:
- Over the past decade, Merrimack has gone 10-0 against Franklin Pierce.
- The smallest margin of victory in any of those games has been five goals (15-10).
- Last year, the Warriors posted their second consecutive 12-goal win over the Ravens, this time a 20-8 win on the road.
Last Time Out:
- Merrimack rolled to a 21-9 Northeast-10 Conference victory at Southern New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon, picking up its fourth straight win in the process. Freshman Sean Black led the way with a career-high eight points, while Merrimack scored six goals in each of the first three quarters, had a 12-3 lead at the midpoint, as well as an 18-6 edge after 45 minutes in a game that was never in doubt. Click here for full recap.
Poll Watch:
- Merrimack enters the week ranked No. 2 in the USILA Coaches' Poll. It was No. 1 during a four-week span and has been no lower than second all year.
- As is usually the case, the Warriors will face plenty of the nation's top programs this year, as six other schools that are on Merrimack's schedule are also ranked in this week's poll.
- The Warriors have already NYIT (ranked eighth when they played), LIU Post (12) and Le Moyne (2); they are yet to face Pace (9), Adelphi (5) and Saint Anselm (20).
'Mack Facts:
- Merrimack (8-1, 5-1 NE10) ranks second in the NE10 in scoring offense (14.44) and third in defense (7.89) and also boasts the third-best man-down defense in the country (84.8%) and 15th-best man-up offense (41.9%).
- Freshman Sean Black (49 points) leads all Warriors on the offensive front with 20 goals and 29 assists. He ranks second in the league in assists and first in overall scoring. His 3.122 assists per game figure ranks second nationally and scoring average (5.44) ranks fourth.
- Sophomore Charlie Bertrand, meanwhile, is the league leader in goals scored (30), ranking third nationally in goals per game (3.75).
- Senior Blake Boudreau has won 144-of-205 on the X (.702) as Merrimack's primary faceoff man, ranking fifth nationally and first in the NE10 in faceoff win percentage. He ranks seventh nationally and first in the NE10 averaging 9.11 ground balls per game.
- Seniors James Bassett, reigning USILA Defensive Player of the Year, and Eric Coburn lead the Warriors with nine caused turnovers, while both have 23 ground balls.
- In net, freshman Peter Brown has started the last seven games and has been solid, posting a 6.56 goals against average and .494save percentage in that span.
- Merrimack has won the last 20 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.
Scouting Franklin Pierce:
- After starting the year 4-0, Franklin Pierce has lost its last four games.
- The Ravens have one of the best man-up offenses in the country (53.3%) but rank eighth in the league averaging 10.38 goals per game while allowing 10.88.
- Jack Carney paces the Ravens with 25 points (14g, 11a), while Benjamin Lassow has a team-most 21 goals.
- Louis Palumbo is 87-of-166 (.524) on faceoffs and has 42 ground balls, while John Massaro leads the team with seven caused turnovers.
- Justin Lorenzo has started every game in net, owning a 10.93 GAA and .509 SV%.
Inside the Matchup:
| #2 Merrimack (8-1, 5-1 NE10) |
Category |
Franklin Pierce (4-4, 2-4 NE10) |
4/3 vs. Saint Anselm (W, 17-9)
4/7 at SNHU (W, 21-9) |
Recent Games |
4/3 vs. Le Moyne (L, 18-6)
4/7 vs. Assumption (L, 12-7) |
| 14.44 |
Scoring Offense |
10.38 |
| 6.56 |
Scoring Defense |
10.88 |
| 41.9% |
Man-Up Offense |
53.3% |
| 84.8% |
Man-Down Defense |
66.7% |
| 130/374 (.348) |
Goals/Shot Attempts (Sh. Pct.) |
83-325 (.255) |
| 32.89 |
Ground Balls |
26.88 |
| 13.33 |
Turnovers |
12.75 |
| 6.67 |
Caused Turnovers |
4.38 |
| 69.7% |
Faceoff Pct. |
51.0% |
| 89.1% |
Clearing Pct. |
80.5% |
Up Next
Merrimack travels to No. 9 Pace University on Saturday (April 14) in a big NE10 matchup beginning at 12 p.m.
