#9 Women's Lacrosse Wins Showdown with New Haven 18-6
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Merrimack women's lacrosse team,
ranked ninth in this week's IWLCA National Poll, picked up its
sixth straight victory, defeating defending Northeast-10 Champion
New Haven 18-6 Saturday afternoon at Warrior Field.
The win is Merrimack's sixth straight, its longest winning
streak since the 2005 season.
The Warriors dominated the first half, forcing 11 turnovers en
route to a 9-3 halftime lead. They outshot the Chargers 25-6 in the
first 30 minutes, as Kelly
Pasquantonio (Plainville, MA) and Mia Basile
(Longmeadow, MA) notched four points each, with
Pasquantonio netting her points on Merrimack's first five goals as
the hosts led 8-1 at one point.
“We've been waiting to avenge that loss for a year,”
said head coach Corinne Baker who was referring to last year's
Northeast-10 Semifinal loss to the Chargers in the final seconds.
“The girls stepped up and were as intense as I've seen them,
and we're really happy with how we played. This is definitely one
of the highlights of the season so far.”
Just as they did in the first half, Merrimack outscored the
Chargers 9-3 in the second.
Colleen Strachan
(Bedford, MA) and Mia Basile each finished with a
game-high four goals, while Christina
McCarron (Westwood, MA) added three. Strachan also
tallied a team-high four ground balls and four draw controls.
The Warriors converted four of their seven free-position
opportunities and forced 12 turnovers.
Jamie-Lee
Whiteway (Billerica, MA) stopped two shots in net for
the win as Merrimack outshot the Chargers 42-9 in the game.
With two conference games remaining, Merrimack (8-2, 7-2 NE-10)
hosts Queens Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference battle at
Warrior Field. The Warriors will likely finish third or fourth in
the Northeast-10 Standings and host a quarterfinal game in the
conference tournament.
