#7 Field Hockey Takes Down AIC, 6-1

Links: Box Score
Video: Highlights // Colleen Ellis Postgame Comments

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.  – The Northeast-10 Conference's top offense continued to dismantle its opposition as the No. 7 Merrimack College field hockey program dispatched visiting American International, 6-1, on Saturday afternoon to record the program's first NE10 victory of the season.

The Basics
Score: #7 Merrimack 6, AIC 1
Records: #7 Merrimack (5-1, 1-0 NE10) | AIC (0-5, 0-1 NE10)
Location: Merrimack Stadium | North Andover, Mass.  

Scoring Summary

• MC (1-0) – About one minute into the game, senior Mary McNeil carried the ball to the near post, and sent a pass across the crease. Sophomore Colleen Ellis was waiting at the far post to tap in the first goal of the afternoon
• MC (2-0) – About five minutes later, McNeil scored one of her own. Junior Lindsey Nolte took an initial shot that was saved, but the rebound caromed to McNeil who ripped it into the open netting
• MC (3-0) – Shortly thereafter, Merrimack scored again. Just past the six-minute mark of the first half, junior Jessica Palmer  threaded a pass through the offensive zone to a cutting Ellis, who one-timed the feed for her second goal of the day
• MC (4-0) – With less than three minutes left in the half, Merrimack added a fourth. McNeil in Nolte broke in on a two-on-one, with the former feeding that latter. Nolte deked the keeper, shot and scored to make it a 4-0 game
• MC (5-0) – Freshman Isabelle Duseau increased the Warriors' advantage to 5-0 midway through the second half. The rookie saw her shot from the center of the attacking zone take a slight deflection, but trickled across the goal line for her third of the season
• AIC (5-1) – The Yellow Jackets scored on a penalty corner, when junior Chelsea Davis received a pass immediately off the corner and scored through traffic to cut the vistors' deficit to four
• MC (6-1) – The four-goal margin was short-lived. Merrimack scored in similar fashion to its opposition as McNeil delivered a corner to junior Alex Mondini who powered a shot home to complete the day's scoring

Top Performers

• Ellis recorded a multi-goal effort to lead the offensive attack, while McNeil equaled the four-point output with one tally and two helpers
• Nolte's three-point day featured one goal and one assist, while Mondini and Duseau registered two points apiece
• AIC's goalkeeper Jessica Stone totaled 15 saves, and Davis added a pair of defensive saves to go along with her first goal of the year

Notes and Notables

• RECORD WATCH – McNeil's career point total sits at 95 through six games as she inches closer to becoming the seventh player in school history with 100 career points. She also brought her career assist total to 35, needing three more to set a new school record
• Not only did the Warriors dominate in the shots department (25-1 advantage), Merrimack was particularly accurate with 23 of 25 attempts (.920) reaching frame
• Ellis posted her second multi-goal game of her career and second this season
• As a team, Merrimack now has a conference-leading 30 goals on the year. Defensively, the Warriors have also allowed just five on the year and two over their last four contests

Up Next
Merrimack will not play again until next Saturday when the Warriors travel to West Haven, Conn. for its first-ever game against the University of New Haven at 7 p.m.