Links: Box Score
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. –
Jack Rooney and
Allyn French turned in dominant efforts in different areas of the game Saturday afternoon at Duane Stadium, as the Merrimack College men's lacrosse team ran past Mount St. Mary's, 14-9.
Rooney had the hot hand all day long with nine points on four goals and five assists and French was nearly unbeatable on faceoffs, as he won 19 of 25 chances he had.
Tommy Rooney,
Christian Thomas and
Mason Balch all also had multi-goal efforts to help the Warriors win their first home NEC game of the season.
On the other side of the field,
Henry Vogt stopped 13 of the 22 shots that went on cage and
Riley Reed caused havoc for the Mountaineers with a trio of caused turnovers, two ground balls and he did not turn the ball over.
The win was punctuated by a strong showing from the program's alumni, who played a game among themselves in the morning, then the team's long list of All-Americans were honored at halftime.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 14, Mount St. Mary's 9
Records: Merrimack (4-4, 1-2 NEC) | Mount St. Mary's (4-7, 1-2 NEC)
Rapid Recap
- Mount St. Mary's scored the game's first goal 1:45 into the contest, but Merrimack quickly grappled the lead back.
- Balch took it himself from the near alley for a snipe to the far side of the net with 10:47 to play in the first, then Tommy Rooney connected with Jack Rooney just 29 seconds later to give the Warriors their first edge of the day.
- The Mountaineers knotted the game at two with 7:38 on the clock, then Merrimack regained a lead it would not relinquish.
- Tommy Rooney ran around the edge, then funneled a pass into the middle of the field for Jack Rooney for his second goal of the quarter with 6:25 to go, then Jack Rooney returned the favor to Christian Thomas on a pass from behind cage to give the Warriors a 4-2 lead with 4:37 remaining.
- Mount St. Mary's looked to close the margin with 1:42 left when it scored to make it 4-3, but Jack Rooney found Balch on a nearly identical play from X to stretch the lead to two before the horn.
- Thomas needed just 29 seconds to get on the board in the second quarter when he scooped up a rebound and fired it home.
- The Mountaineers stopped the 2-0 run with 11:48 to play to make it a 6-4 score.
- Brian Russell netted his fourth of the season with a little over seven minutes remaining when he ran to the edge and fired a missile that found the net.
- The visitors had an answer over a minute later, but then the Warriors surged to close the half.
- With 5:11 to go, Thomas faked a shot from straight away, then cut inside and finished for a three-goal lead. After French won the ensuing faceoff, Brennan McInnis hit Jack Rooney for another goal to make it 9-5. Merrimack's onslaught ended with 1:42 left in the half when Jack Rooney notched his sixth point when he dished to Balch off a restart from the near sideline for another tally.
- Out of the halftime break, Mount St. Mary's had the first goal, but Merrimack silenced them throughout the remainder of the quarter. Vogt and company held the Mountaineers off the board and both Rooney brothers notched a goal apiece to begin the fourth with a 12-6 lead.
- The visitors from Maryland enjoyed a 2-0 run in the opening six minutes of the final quarter, but then a myriad penalties went the Warriors' way. Jack Rooney assisted on man up goals to Tommy Rooney and Trace Hogan just a couple minutes apart to all but end the game.
- Mount St. Mary's added a late man up goal of its own with 1:52 left, but it was too late, as the Warriors closed out the five-goal win.
Notes and Numbers
- French led all players with nine ground balls.
- Along with Reed, McInnis, Jack Rooney, Nicholas Perez-Blanco, Carlin Joyal, Joe Conley and Joseph Jorgenson also had caused turnovers.
- Jack Barron won the only faceoff attempt he had.
- Six different Warriors had three ground balls or more including French, Thomas, McInnis, Russell, Christian Glover and Wyatt Carr.
- Shots: 40-37 Merrimack (28-22 SOG)
- Faceoffs: 20-6 Merrimack // Ground Balls: 42-26 Merrimack
- Turnovers (CT): 20-18 Merrimack (9-6 Merrimack) // Clears: Merrimack: 18-21 // MSM: 20-24
- Extra-man opportunities: Merrimack: 2-3 // Mount St. Mary's: 1-3
Up Next
The Warriors head to Fairfield, Conn. Saturday to take on Sacred Heart. Start time is set for 12:00 pm.
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