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Highlights
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Ten different players found the back of the net while all four netminders on the roster combined to allow just four goals on the afternoon, as the second-ranked Merrimack College men's lacrosse team powered its way past American International College by a 17-4 score in Saturday afternoon Northeast-10 Conference action at Merrimack Stadium.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 17, American Int'l 4
Records: #2 Merrimack (6-1, 3-1 NE10) | American Int'l (1-10, 0-6 NE10)
Location: Merrimack Stadium | North Andover, Mass.
Attendance: 218
Duration: 1:45
Rapid Recap
- The home side had all six goals in the first quarter with sophomore Charlie Bertrand getting three of them, while freshman Sean Black, senior Kyle Stenberg and sophomore Dom Thomas netted the others to give the Warriors a 6-0 lead after 15 minutes.
- AIC got on the board with 12:07 left in the second quarter, but that was answered by seven uninterrupted markers by the Navy and Gold to close out the half. In addition to Bertrand and Black, senior midfielders Jack Trask and Hunter Schmell and rookies Christian Thomas and Lee Sipes also joined in on the scoring during that run, with the latter netting his first career tally in the process.
- Sipes and fellow freshman Sean Snyder found the back of the net early in the third to push Merrimack's lead to 15-1, with Snyder recording his first goal as a Warrior in the process. AIC closed out the quarter with two quick strikes to get within 13 goals (15-3), but Trask finished off the penultimate stanza with his third goal of the game to make it 16-3 Warriors entering the fourth.
- Senior Bailey Walsh was the lone Warrior to score in the final period while AIC also found the back of the net to account for the final margin of victory.
Top Performances
- Of the 10 different Warriors that found the back of the net on Saturday, Bertrand paced them all with four goals on his own. Trask also had a hat trick, while Black (2g, 1a) and Sipes also had multi-goal outings.
- Christian Thomas led all players with six points, tying his career-high from earlier this season by means of a goal and a career-best five assists. Sophomore Tyler Liantonio was the only other Warrior with multiple assists.
- All four goalkeepers on the roster combined to allow just four goals. Freshman Peter Brown got the start and pitched a shutout in the first quarter before giving way to junior Edward Hellier, who allowed just one goal with a save made in the second. Senior Mitch Green stopped three shots over the span of the third quarter, while sophomore Nick Ponte made his first appearance of the year over the final 15 minutes and made two stops.
- Senior Eric Coburn caused two turnovers while classmate Blake Boudreau and freshman Davis Cronin dominated the faceoff battle, combining to take 21-of-25 contested draws (84 percent). Boudreau himself won 14-of-16 with 10 ground balls, while Cronin went 7-for-9.
Notes and Numbers
- The Warriors matched their best defensive performance of the year in terms of fewest goals allowed by yielding just four to the Yellow Jackets; they also did so against LIU Post on March 10.
- Merrimack also matched its season high in total points in a single game (28) while setting a new single-game high in goals (17) and ground balls (47).
- Merrimack has now won the last 18 games it has scored 10 or more goals in; its last loss when posting a double-digit scoring total was in double overtime against Le Moyne (12-11) on March 18, 2017.
- Bertrand moved into a tie for first place in the league leader board in goals (24), while Black ranks second in the league in points (34) and assists )29).
- EMO: (MC-AIC): 1-1 // 1-4
- Shots: 41-26 (31-12 SOG)
- Faceoffs: 21-4 // Ground Balls: 47-17
- Turnovers: 13-17 (5-1 CT) // Clears: 16-17 // 17-21
Up Next
Merrimack will stay at home to take on Saint Anselm College next Tuesday (April 3). Game time from Merrimack Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
