Links: Box Score
PHILADELPHIA –
Henry Vogt and the Merrimack College men's lacrosse defense shut down Saint Joseph's for long stretches Saturday afternoon at Sweeney Field, but the hosts found a way in the second half to prevail in a 9-7 decision.
Vogt stood tall in the Warrior cage, as the freshman finished with 13 saves on the day to boost his season save percentage to .551, which ranks him in the top-20 in the country. He and the Warrior defense combined to hold the Hawks to just one goal in the first half, but a pair of runs turned the momentum around in the closing half hour.
Offensively, reigning USILA National Team of the Week player,
Jack Rooney, paced Merrimack with two goals and an assist.
Grant Laman also enjoyed the best game of his young collegiate career, as he netted a pair to set a single game career-high.
The Basics
Score: Saint Joseph's 9,
Merrimack 7
Records: Merrimack (2-3, 1-2 NEC) | Saint Joseph's (3-3, 3-0 NEC)
Rapid Recap
- Laman got Merrimack off to a quick start just over two minutes into the game when he faked a shot, dodged a defender, then ripped home his second of the year from long range.
- Saint Joseph's had the quick reply a minute later, but then Vogt and the Warrior defense went to work. They held the Hawks off the board for the final 26:23 of the first half, which let the visitors from North Andover find the lead.
- In the dying minutes of the opening quarter, Merrimack went on the man-up and did not disappoint. The Warriors worked the ball around the perimeter, then Tommy Rooney funneled a pass up high to his brother, Jack, who bombed one high to take back the lead.
- Midway through the second quarter, another man-up chance was converted on by the Warriors, but this one had extra style points. Sean Black notched the 155th assist in his historic career when he dished to Aiden Glover just in front, then the freshman launched one behind his back to push the lead to two.
- Jack Rooney put an exclamation point on a great half for the Warriors with 3:22 to play when he ripped home his second of the day.
- A re-energized group came out in the third quarter for Saint Joseph's and scored three in a row to tie the score in the opening 2:39.
- Merrimack settled down after the tying goal and the teams played scoreless for seven minutes, before Laman notched his second of the day on a deep sidearm rip.
- The Hawks got two straight markers from Levi Anderson in the final 4:36 of the third to claim their first lead of the day before the final 15 minutes.
- It took just 2:15 in the final quarter for Merrimack to tie the game, as Jack Rooney dished to Black from X and the senior quickly fired it out of his pocket and into the back of the net.
- The back-and-forth battle was on, as Saint Joseph's retook the lead with 9:13 to play, but Max Morrill answered at the 7:47 mark to draw the sides level at seven.
- The teams fought tight in the closing seven minutes, but the Hawks had two goals go their way to claim the close NEC win.
Notes and Numbers
- Black's two points puts him at 237 in his career, which ranks third in Warrior history. He's just 13 away from becoming the third player ever at Merrimack to reach 250.
- Nicholas Perez-Blanco was a force on the backend with a game-high three caused turnovers.
- Lantz Kilburn, Tommy Rooney and Vogt led the Warriors with four ground balls apiece.
- Vogt's 13 saves was the second-most in a single game in his career. He's now turned aside 43 shots in just 208:02 of game time.
- Shots: 42-28 SJU (22-15 SOG)
- EMO: Merrimack: 1-4 // Saint Joseph's: 0-4
- Faceoffs: 18-1 SJU // Ground Balls: 35-28 SJU
- Turnovers (CT): 19-19 (13-8 SJU) // Clears: Merrimack: 19-24 // Saint Joseph's: 16-21
Up Next
The Warriors come back to North Andover and Duane Stadium Mar. 27 for a rematch against Bryant. Face-off is slated for 1:00 pm.
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