NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College men's lacrosse team avenged last season's opener lost in dominant fashion with a 10-7 win over Hofstra University Pride on Sunday afternoon at Duane Stadium.
The Warriors went on a 5-0 run in the first half of the game and never looked back as graduate student
Tommy Rooney topped the Warriors with three goals in his season debut and while his brother, senior
Jack Rooney, chipped in with three assists to lead the team and a goal. Freshman Kasey Monagillo and sophomore
Brian Russell also netted two goals to help push the lead. In the cage, junior
Henry Vogt accounted for nine saves to help slow down Hofstra Pride.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 10, Hofstra 7
Records: Merrimack (1-0, 0-0 NEC) | Hofstra (0-1, 0-0 CAA)
Rapid Recap
Hofstra got off to a hot start as they scored the first goal of the game at the 12:41 mark of the first quarter to get the Pride on the board. However, it was all Merrimack for the remainder of the half, as
Tommy Rooney made the Warrior's first goal with 4:20 left in the first. They would then go on to score a second goal, this time by
Kasey Mongillo for his first collegiate goal. With the momentum, Merrimack would then go on to make their third goal with a great shot to the top left post by
Brian Bouwman with 37 seconds left in the first.
The Warriors started off the second quarter in tremendous fashion, as
Drew Hailey notched a goal within 2:52 into the game to push the lead to 4-1. Then,
Jack Rooney would make his first goal of the afternoon with an over-the-shoulder goal that snuck past the Pride's goalkeeper to add to the score. The scoring did not stop for the Warriors, as Mongillo would make his second goal of his collegiate career at the 8:41 mark, making it 6-1. Hofstra would score again with 2:59 on the clock to make it a four-goal deficit at the break.
After the half, the Warriors would come out to a fast start as
Tommy Rooney would score for the second time of the afternoon off a rebound save that pushed the Warriors lead. Later in the contest,
Brian Russell would make his presence known, making two shots back to back, to take a commanding 9-2 lead.
In the fourth, The Pride was able to score the first points 30 seconds into the game. This was not to be outdone, as
Tommy Rooney completed the hat trick and make his third goal of the afternoon to push the lead to 10-3. Hofstra would try and mount a late rally comeback, scoring four goals to try and finish the comeback. But it was not enough, as the Warriors would win 10-7.
Notes and Numbers
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Tommy Rooney had a stellar day with three goals to start the season and lead the team.
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Jack Rooney would lead the team with three assists.
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Grant Laman was active on defense all day, as he caused three turnovers to lead.
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Henry Vogt and
Nicholas Perez-Blanco both had four ground balls a piece.
Shots: 44-30 Hofstra (16-21 SOG)
EMO: Merrimack: 1-1 // Dartmouth: 1-6
Faceoffs: 15-6 Hofstra // Ground Balls: 41-23 Hofstra
Turnovers (CT): 26-16 Hofstra // Clears: Merrimack: 28-30 // Hofstra: 13-15
Up Next
The Warriors will be back at home on Feb. 8 to take on Holy Cross at Duane Stadium. Faceoff is set for 5:00 pm.
For continuing coverage of Merrimack College Athletics, visit MerrimackAthletics.com and follow the Warriors on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.
