| Date |
Tuesday, April 23, 2019 (3:30 p.m.) |
| Matchup |
#5 Merrimack (11-2, 9-1 NE10)
Saint Michael's (4-10, 1-9 NE10) |
| Location |
Duffy Field // Colchester, Vt. |
| Multimedia |
Live Stats // Video |
| Social |
Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The fifth-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team closes the regular season with one last road trip up to Saint Michael's College on Tuesday (April 23) afternoon. Game time from Duffy Field is set for 3:30 p.m.
Five Things to Know:
- After dropping just its second game of the season at then-No. 3 Adelphi on Saturday, the Warriors find themselves in a three-way tie for first place atop the Northeast-10 Conference standings. However, due to the goal differential tiebreaker, should Merrimack remain tied by the end of the day tomorrow it would finish as the No. 3 seed in advance of the league tournament, which starts Saturday afternoon at the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. The Warriors would need a win and losses by Le Moyne and/or Adelphi in their respective regular season finales tomorrow to move up a spot and earn a top-two seed and a first-round bye.
- Recording no fewer than 12 goals in all but one game this season, Merrimack owns the NE10's best scoring offense (and the country's third-best), averaging 17.0 goals per game. They also boast the nation's second-ranked man-up offense that converts at 50.0 percent. The Warriors have also taken care of the ball well, as indicated by their 14.31 turnovers per game (second-fewest in the country) and an 83.3-percent clearing percentage that ranks 30th nationally.
- Junior Charlie Bertrand continues to back up his status as one of the nation's best overall players with a team-leading 73 points on the strength of 58 goals and 15 assists in 11 games. He leads the country in points per game (6.64) and goals per game (5.27), while sophomore Sean Black leads the country in assists per game (3.75) and ranks third in scoring average (5.83), behind only Bertrand. Sophomore Christian Thomas, who has 37 points in his last five six alone (6.16 ppg), ranks seventh nationally in assists average (2.46) and 17th in scoring average (4.69).
- Merrimack has won 21 straight games at home, the longest active home winning streak in the country. The last time the Warriors lost a game at home was on March 18, 2017. The Warriors recently had a 20-game winning streak in conference play snapped, which was the longest active streak in the country.
- Merrimack has won seven straight against Saint Michael's and leads the all-time series, 21-10. Last year's matchup resulted in an 18-goal victory at home for the Warriors. The Purple Knights have lost nine of their last 10 games and are 4-10 overall (1-9 NE10). Ralph Grillone III and Brian Loughlin both have over 40 points, while Justin Richmond has gone over 55 percent at the X (137-of-248). Dominic Joy has started every game in net and has a 10.71 goals against and .555 save percentage.
Inside the Matchup:
| #5 Merrimack (12-1, 9-1 NE10) |
Category |
Saint Michael's (4-10, 1-9 NE10) |
| 4/20 at #3 Adelphi (L, 8-17) |
Recent Games |
4/20 at #3 Le Moyne (L, 3-10) |
| 17.0 |
Scoring Offense |
8.64 |
| 10.31 |
Scoring Defense |
10.5 |
| 50.0% |
Man-Up Offense |
23.9% |
| 68.8% |
Man-Down Defense |
64.6% |
| 33.15 |
Ground Balls |
32.93 |
| 14.31 |
Turnovers |
22.5 |
| 8.69 |
Caused Turnovers |
11.36 |
| 47.1% |
Faceoff Pct. |
51.0% |
| 83.3% |
Clearing Pct. |
76.6% |
Up Next
Merrimack will open its league title defense when the 2019 NE10 Men's Lacrosse Championship begins this Saturday (April 27) with the opening round at the sights of the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds. Should the Warriors earn a bye to the semifinals, they would host that round next Wednesday (May 1).
