Links: Box Score
HANOVER, N.H. – Led by a hat trick from
Tommy Rooney and a 21-save effort from
Henry Vogt in the cage, the Merrimack College men's lacrosse team topped Dartmouth by an 8-6 final Saturday afternoon at Scully-Fahey Field.
In a first half that included plenty of snow, the teams combined for just three goals and Vogt came just seconds away from a shutout in the opening 30 minutes, as he finished the half with 15 saves. The scoring opened up in the second half and the teams were deadlocked at four entering the fourth quarter, but then the Warriors took control.
Jack Rooney scored 2:05 into the fourth, then
Brennan McInnis netted his first of the year with 7:57 to play. Dartmouth brought the deficit down to one, but goals from
Tommy Rooney and
Brian Russell's first collegiate tally proved to be too much for the hosts.
It marks the first victory of the season for the Warriors and their first triumph against an Ivy League opponent in just their third season at the Division I level.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 8, Dartmouth 6
Records: Merrimack (1-2, 0-0 NEC) | Dartmouth (0-1, 0-0 Ivy)
Rapid Recap
- Snow engulfed the field in the first half, which made offense hard to come by, but it didn't stop Tommy Rooney. Nine minutes into the first quarter, he cut to the inside of the field, then took a dish from Trace Hogan, before Rooney quickly opened up and fired it home.
- The score remained 1-0 at the end of 15 minutes thanks to Vogt, who had the answer for nine shots on goal from the Big Green.
- While on a man-up chance four minutes into the second quarter, the Warriors stretched the lead. Grant Laman worked the ball goal line extended to Tommy Rooney on the far side of the field. Rooney faked a return feed to Laman, then unloaded a sidewinder of a shot that rippled the twine towards the bottom of the net.
- Merrimack's stout defense held tough with Vogt, but the Big Green was able to get on the board with 24 seconds remaining in the half to make it 2-1 after half an hour of play.
- Scoring was still tough to come by when the second half opened up, but it was the Big Green that struck first to tie it up with 8:05 to play. The tie did not last long, as the Merrimack offense came alive.
- Exactly one minute later, Christian Thomas turned a corner and fired a bounce shot that found twine. Just over a minute after that, Sean Black found Tommy Rooney in the near alley, then he fired a shot to the ground that snuck inside the post for his hat trick.
- Dartmouth made it a one-goal game quickly after, then struck as the clock expired in the third quarter to knot the game at four entering the fourth.
- Just over two minutes into the closing quarter, Jack Rooney ran around the net, spun off a defender, then deposited it into the top corner of the net to get Merrimack a lead it would not relinquish.
- Five minutes afterwards, Merrimack took the ball in transition with Tommy Rooney. He fed a streaking McInnis through the center of the field, who looked for a pass, then loaded up a shot from range that found its way in for his first of the year.
- The Big Green scored 42 seconds later, but Merrimack got it right back even quicker.
- Off the ensuing faceoff, McInnis came away with the ball and found Thomas in the near alley. Thomas funneled it downfield for Jack Rooney, who swung it to the net for Tommy for an in-tight finish.
- After a couple minutes of play, the dagger came off the stick of Russell. The freshman took a pass in the middle of the field from Hogan, wound up and unleashed a rip from deep to make it a three-goal game with 5:12 left.
- Dartmouth looked to make it interesting with a tally with 2:50 to play, but Vogt stopped the final shot he saw with just over a minute to go to secure the victory.
Notes and Numbers
- Vogt led the team with six ground balls, but Allyn French was not far behind with five. French also won 10 of the 17 faceoffs he took on the afternoon.
- Thomas topped the team with a pair of caused turnovers.
- Tommy Rooney's 11 shots tied for the game-high.
- Hogan's two assists marked a single game career-high for the freshman.
- Vogt now has 44 saves in his last two games, which is good for a .710 save percentage.
- Shots: 45-38 Dartmouth (27-24 SOG)
- EMO: Merrimack: 1-2 // Dartmouth: 0-1
- Faceoffs: 10-7 Merrimack // Ground Balls: 26-24 Dartmouth
- Turnovers (CT): 18-16 Dartmouth (8-7 Dartmouth) // Clears: Merrimack: 21-25 // Dartmouth: 18-22
Up Next
The Warriors conclude their four-game stretch away from Duane Stadium Feb. 27 at Holy Cross. Faceoff is set for 1:00 pm from Kuzniewski Field.
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