November 2, 2009

Weekly Roundup: Women's Soccer Battles #1 Saint Rose in NE-10 Semis Thursday

MERRIMACK COLLEGE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

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COMING UP....
Volleyball faces two must-win matches, while football battles Pace in the regular season finale with a chance to earn a share of the NE-10 Championship. Women’s soccer battles top-seed Saint Rose Thursday in the NE-10 Semis.

WARRIOR WEEKLY UPDATE...

FOOTBALL (6-3, 5-2 NE-10)
Jeremiah Watts set the school record with 19 receptions while James Suozzo posted 467 total yards as Merrimack defeated first-place Southern Connecticut 52-42 Friday night. Merrimack remains mathematically alive for the Northeast-10 title, but needs Stonehill to upset first-place Bentley next Saturday combined with a Warrior victory over Pace. The Warriors, Falcons and Owls would then all have two losses, giving Merrimack the tie-breaker by way of victories over both Bentley and Southern Connecticut. In the win, sophomore linebacker Shawn Loiseau picked up 10 tackles, breaking the school record of 105 set in 1999. With one regular season game remaining, Loiseau has 111 tackles and leads the conference in tackles per game. The Warriors also set the school-record for total yards in a season with 4,318, surpassing last year’s total of 4,234. Watts’ 19 receptions surpassed Elfren Quiles’ school record of 18 set in 2004. His 212 receiving yards were 17 shy of Quiles’ record for a single-game and rank third all-time in program history. Freshman Jimon Hill recorded his first 100-yard game, rushing for 139 yards on 24 carries, while Suozzo was also in triple figures with 103 yards rushing on 19 carries and two touchdowns, and threw for 364 yards and four scores on 36-of-48 passing. Chris Laham added two more touchdown receptions to his school-record of 36 and had 98 receiving yards on eight receptions.

#8 FIELD HOCKEY (13-8, 7-4 NE-10)
Goals from April Daugherty and Sarah Salatto gave the Warriors the 2-1 victory over Adelphi University in the Northeast-10 Quarterfinals on Wednesday. They then lost to top-ranked Stonehill 3-0 on Saturday, making their first-ever appearance in the Northeast-10 Semifinals, seeing an end to a historic season that saw the Warriors set a school record for wins.

MEN’S SOCCER (11-6-1, 9-4 NE-10)
With two goals from Robbie Sabadoz, the Merrimack men’s soccer team won its fourth straight over UMass-Lowell, 2-0, and secured the five seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Conference quarterfinals. With a 2-1 loss on Sunday to No. 4 Southern Connecticut, the Warriors season came to a close in the quarterfinals. Sophomore midfielder Victor Plaza scored the Warriors lone goal in the 82nd minute after Merrimack gave up two unanswered scores in the 20th and 64th minutes.

WOMEN’S SOCCER (13-4-3, 10-4-1 NE-10)
It took 110 minutes of play and ten penalty kicks to decide who would face top-ranked Saint Rose in the Northeast-10 Conference semifinal, but the Merrimack women’s soccer Warriors notched five penalty kicks to advance over Adelphi University in Sunday’s quarterfinal match-up. Elizabeth Hopley scored the clincher in penalty kicks, but senior goalkeeper Brittany Gustafson made way for the game-winner when she stopped the fifth and final Adelphi attempt. Khara Roman’s goal gave the Warriors the 1-0 victory over #23 Lowell in the regular season finale, securing the fourth seed in the NE-10 Tournament.

VOLLEYBALL (20-10, 7-6 NE-10)
Behind a season-high 25 kills from Molly Cindric, Merrimack exacted revenge on Stonehill College, defeating the Skyhawks 3-1 in a non-conference match Tuesday. They then defeated Pace 3-0 Friday night, tying the school record for wins in a season set in 2008. The Warriors were consistent all evening, hitting .316 overall, committing just seven attack errors, making quick work of the Setters. After losing to Adelphi 3-0 on Saturday, the Warriors enter this week needing to win both matches to have a chance to qualify for the Northeast-10 Tournament.

CROSS COUNTRY
Idle this week, will run in the Northeast Regionals on Sunday.

HOCKEY (5-3-0, 2-1-0 HEA)
Brandon Brodhag scored his first career goal and added an assist, but #13/12 Boston College overcame a 3-2 deficit to snap Merrimack’s four-game winning streak 4-3 Friday night. The Warriors trailed 2-0 early but scored three times in the first period to lead 3-2 before the Eagles evened the game in the waning moments of the first and scored the game-winner in the second. Jeff Velleca and Kyle Bigos also scored while Stephane Da Costa had two assists. Then on Sunday, Brodhag, Chris Barton, Da Costa and Velleca each contributed a goal and an assist as Merrimack picked up a 5-3 win against Boston College. The win is the Warriors' first in 21 games (0-17-4) against the Eagles, dating back to February 15, 2003. Andrew Braithwaite stopped 29 shots in the win, Merrimack’s fifth straight at home.

#7/15 MEN’S BASKETBALL (0-0, 0-0 NE-10)
The Merrimack men’s basketball team tipped off its 2009-10 season with an exhibition contest against Providence College, losing 97-74. Senior captain Darren Duncan led the Warrior offense with 21 points, including 12 points from the line. Sophomore Wayne Mack chipped in 11 points and nine boards on the night. Junior Darin Mency was among three Warriors sidelined for the exhibition. Sophomore Roland Davis also poured in 15 points in 40 minutes for Merrimack.