Links: Box Score
FAIRFIELD, Conn. –
Henry Vogt answered the bell Saturday afternoon at Campus Field, as he made 16 saves to propel the Merrimack College men's lacrosse team to an 11-8 win over Sacred Heart.
The Warriors entered the fourth with a slim one-goal lead, but Vogt turned aside five of the six shots he faced in the closing 15 minutes and a trio of goals on the other end proved to be enough.
Jack Rooney,
Drew Hailey and
Christian Thomas scored those goals, which lifted the visitors to their second straight win and second consecutive in NEC play.
After he tallied nine points last week against Mount St. Mary's,
Jack Rooney led Merrimack again in scoring with six points thanks to four goals and a pair of helpers. Eight different players scored at least a goal, including Thomas, Hailey,
Tommy Rooney,
Sean Black,
Trace Hogan,
Mason Balch and
Jack Barron.
Defensively,
Sam Walsh turned in one of the better performances in his collegiate career. He led the team with a pair of caused turnovers and tied for the team-high with four ground balls.
Allyn French also had four ground balls and has now won 33 of his last 45 faceoffs after he went 14-for-20 on the day.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 11, Sacred Heart 8
Records: Merrimack (5-4, 2-2 NEC) | Sacred Heart (3-7, 1-3 NEC)
Rapid Recap
- Both goalies started the game out strong, as neither team was able to find the back of the net in the opening seven minutes, but then Merrimack got going.
- Brian Bouwman turned in the near alley, then sent a pass behind the net for Jack Rooney. The junior ran in front and sent a shot that just tucked under the bar. Rooney earned his second point of the day just over a minute later when he dished it to Barron in front for the goal.
- Sacred Heart finally solved Vogt for the first time with 4:39 left in the first quarter, but Balch responded a minute later with an incredible move when he faked a cut inside, stepped out in the far alley and rifled one home.
- The Pioneers made it a one-goal game with 42 seconds left in the quarter, then tied the game at three two minutes into the third.
- The Rooney brothers combined with 7:56 to go in the half on a man-up goal when Tommy took the ball goal-line-extended on the near side and found Jack in the near alley for the finish.
- Trace Hogan did it himself three minutes later when he ran around a defender on the near side, then cut inside for a point blank marker to make it 5-3, which ended the scoring for the half.
- Sacred Heart scored in the opening minute of the second half, but Black got it back for the Warriors with a goal at 13:26 off a Jack Rooney pass from behind the net.
- It was a Pioneer surge after Black's marker, as they struck for three straight to take a 7-6 lead with 6:23 remaining in the third.
- Merrimack turned on the jets after Sacred Heart took its first lead of the day and went on a run of its own. The Rooney brothers both scored in the final 2:55 of the quarter, as Jack ran into space on the far side and sniped to tie the game, then Tommy took a pass from Black in the far alley and uncorked one to take the lead with 11 seconds on the clock.
- The run pressed on to begin the fourth when Jack Rooney netted his fourth of the day with 11:41 to play, then Hailey spun off a defender and buried one three and a half minutes later to stretch the lead to three.
- Sacred Heart had one last gasp when it scored to make it 10-8 with 6:52 remaining, but Vogt and the Warriors stood tall and that's the closest the Pioneers got.
- With one second to go in the game, Thomas shook loose and capped the scoring at 11-8.
Notes and Numbers
- Barron and Riley Reed both collected a trio of ground balls. Black, Hailey, Vogt and Brennan McInnis also had multi-ground ball efforts.
- Jack Rooney topped the team with 10 shots and nine on goal.
- Reed, McInnis and Grant Laman all had one caused turnover.
- Jack Rooney continued to stretch his team scoring lead and now has 35 points on the season, which is 10 more than any other player.
- Shots: 43-40 Sacred Heart (29-24 SOG Merrimack)
- Faceoffs: 14-8 Merrimack // Ground Balls: 32-25 Merrimack
- Turnovers (CT): 14-11 Sacred Heart (5-4 Merrimack) // Clears: Merrimack: 25-30 // Sacred Heart: 18-18
- Extra-man opportunities: Merrimack: 1-3 // Sacred Heart: 1-4
Up Next
Merrimack returns to Duane Stadium Saturday to battle Hobart. Face-off is set for 3:00 and is after the women's lacrosse team's game against Wagner, which is slated for 12:00.
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