#15 Women’s Lacrosse Closes Regular Season on Senior Day against #25 Assumption Saturday at Noon

Date	Saturday, April 28, 2018 (12:00 p.m.)
Matchup	#15 Merrimack (12-4, 9-3 NE10) #25 Assumption (9-6, 6-6 NE10)
Venue	Merrimack Stadium // North Andover, Mass.
Multimedia	Live Stats // Video
Social Media	@MerrimackWLAX // Instagram

 
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – With a home game in next week's Northeast-10 Conference Championship already locked up, the No. 15 Merrimack College women's lacrosse team will look to carry momentum into the playoffs when it closes the regular season against No. 25 Assumption College on Saturday at 12 p.m. at Merrimack Stadium. Prior to the game, the program will honor its three graduating seniors as part of Senior Day.

NE10 TOURNAMENT PICTURE
Top-eight qualify for tournament; seeds 1-4 host 5-8 in quarterfinals on 5/2; highest remaining seed hosts semis & finals 5/5-6

1. Adelphi (13-0) Clinched #1 seed
2. Le Moyne (11-1) H2H vs. MC, Pace
3. Pace (9-3) H2H vs. MC
4. Merrimack (9-3) H2H vs. UNH
5. New Haven (8-4) H2H vs. BEN
6. Bentley (7-5) 
7. Saint Anselm (6-6) H2H vs. ASM
8. Assumption (6-6)

BEER GARDENS AVAILABLE FOR HOME GAMES
Merrimack is pleased to offer a 21 Beer Garden on the stadium patio for select women's lacrosse home games (opposite the press box side, closest to the Merrimack Athletics Complex). The patio opens one hour before game time and closes midway through the second half. Light snacks are also available for purchase. 

Inside the Series:

• Dating back to the 2008 season, Merrimack and Assumption are even at a 5-5 record over the last 10 meetings.
• The Warriors had won five straight, but the Greyhounds, however, have the last five wins in the series.
• Merrimack's closest game in that span was a one-goal loss on the road (9-8) on March 21, 2015.
• Last year, the Greyhounds held off the Warriors, 14-8, in the season finale.

Last Time Out:

• The No. 15 Merrimack College women's lacrosse team not only tied the single-season record for total victories, but clinched a home playoff game next week, as the Warriors topped Franklin Pierce, 21-14, on Wednesday night at Sodexo Field. Freshman Haley Bartlett was Merrimack's lead scorer with five goals, while classmate Kelsey Daly caused a career-high seven turnovers. Click here for the full recap.

Poll Watch:

• Merrimack's schedule features seven opponents that are ranked in the most recent Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) national rankings.
• The Warriors already faced Adelphi (ranked second when they played), Mercy (ranked 12^th), Pace (14^th), Stonehill (20) New Haven (8), Le Moyne (3) and Bentley (19), and upcoming ranked opponents include Assumption (25).

'Mack Facts:

• Merrimack's 12-4 record ties its best mark in program history and its best since the 2011 season that saw them finish 12-7. The Warriors have won 12 games in four seasons (2005-06, 2010-11).
• Merrimack also had a six-game winning streak at one point this year, its longest such streak since the 2010 season when they won 10 in a row.
• The NE10's third-ranked offense enters Wednesday averaging 16.13 goals per game, as the Warriors have posted double-digit goal totals all but one of their 16 games. They scored 10-plus goals in 12 straight games, the longest such streak since 2010 when they did so in 14 straight games.
• On the other end, Merrimack has the fourth-best scoring defense in the league allowing 10.38 goals per game.
• Junior Amber Feminella leads Merrimack – and the NE10 – with 65 goals and ranks fifth overall in the league with 78 points on the season.
• Sophomore Ally DaCosta is one of the top playmakers in the country, averaging 3.57 assists per game (7^th/NCAA) while her 62 total points (12g, 50a) ranks second on the team.
• Freshman Haley Bartlett and junior Bridget Schofield have 58 and 47 points, respectively, with over 35 goals apiece.
• Sophomore Olivia Colletti and freshman Catherine Mahanna both have over 40 draw controls, while freshman Kelsey Daly has caused a team-most 28 turnovers.
• Junior Lauren Trepaney has played in the last 10 games with eight starts and owns a 9.99 GAA and .540 SV%.

Scouting Assumption

• Assumption is playing for seeding on Saturday as it has already clinched a spot in the NE10 Tournament with a 9-6 record (6-6 NE10). The Greyhounds have won two straight.
• Assumption ranks second in the NE10 in scoring offense (16.60) while yielding 12.80 goals per game defensively (6^th).
• Sarah Reilly is among the NE10's top scorers with 80 points (57g, 23a), while two others have over 50 points on the season.
• Amanda Burns leads the team with 76 draw controls, while Meghan Cushing has 46 ground balls. Morgan Cushing leads the team with 22 caused turnovers.
• Kyra Goucher has started all 15 games in net and owns a 12.94 GAA and .357 SV%.

Inside the Matchup:

#15 Merrimack (12-4, 9-3 NE10)	Category	#25 Assumption (9-6, 6-6 NE10)
4/21 at SCSU (W, 21-14) 4/25 at Franklin Pierce (W, 16-10)	Recent Games	4/21 vs. Franklin Pierce (W, 15-11) 4/25 vs. SCSU (W, 19-15)
16.13	Scoring Offense	16.60
10.38	Scoring Defense	12.80
258-528 (.489)	Goals-Shot Attempts (Pct.)	249-523 (.476)
54-119 (.454)	Free Positions Made-Att.	66-150 (.440)
19.63	Ground Balls	21.47
13.19	Draw Controls	17.07
15.50	Turnovers	15.87
9.69	Caused Turnovers	12.93
.821	Clearing (Pct.)	.815

 
Up Next
Merrimack will open up postseason play for the first time since 2012 when it hosts a to-be-determined opponent in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 NE10 Championship next Wednesday (May 2). Game time from Merrimack Stadium is 6 p.m.