Links: Box Score
NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Three different players had hat tricks and four Warriors notched their first collegiate goals, as the Merrimack College women's lacrosse team blew past Central Connecticut, 19-10, Saturday afternoon at Arute Field.
Meghan Dzialo's career year pressed on with five goals and four assists for a single game career-high nine points to drive the Merrimack attack.
Haley Bartlett had her best offensive performance during the Warriors' Division I era with seven points on four goals and three assists and
Natalie Calkins' five points marked another single game career-high.
Gabby Cacciola kept the Blue Devil attack at bay, as she finished with 11 saves for a .524 save percentage on the day.
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 19, Central Connecticut 10
Records: Merrimack (2-8, 2-6 NEC) | Central Connecticut (0-11, 0-9 NEC)
How It Happened
- The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just over a minute into the game, but Dzialo had the counter just 30 seconds after when she took a bump from a defender and fired home a bomb as she went to the ground.
- Central Connecticut regained the lead at the 22:16 mark, but the Warriors took over after that to grab a strangle hold on the game.
- A monstrous Merrimack run started with Georgia Parker, who rushed the cage off a free position and tallied her first career goal with 18:53 to play. The Warriors took their first lead of the day less than a minute after when Calkins connected with Bartlett in front of the cage for the senior's 22nd goal of the season and the run was on.
- Catherine Mahanna pushed the lead to two at 17:26, then Bartlett returned the favor on an assist on a Calkins goal at 15:45 to open up the game.
- Merrimack made it five unanswered at 11:39 when Dzialo had a precise pass into the arc to Bartlett, who turned and fired for her second of the day. Dzialo gained her second assist in less than a minute at 10:53 when Calkins finished another pass from the senior.
- Another milestone came at 8:17 when Bartlett picked up another assist, as she flipped a pass into the arc to Lydia Tinnerello, who fought her way into a shooting position, then ripped home her first collegiate tally.
- The massive 8-0 run was completed two minutes later when Dzialo netted her second of the afternoon when she came around from X and sniped from a sharp angle to the right of the cage to make it 9-2.
- The hosts looked to claw back into the game with a rapid 3-0 run from 4:37 to 3:23, but Dzialo put a stop to that with her hat trick goal on a free position to send the teams into the break with a 10-5 Warrior lead.
- Dzialo, who entered the game as the NEC's top goal scorer, proved why to open the second half. She scored twice in just over five minutes to complete a personal 3-0 run, including a deep rip off a pass from Sophie Scearbo.
- Central Connecticut looked to turn the tides 45 seconds later with a goal, but Merrimack was able to put the hammer down.
- The teams played scoreless for the next eight minutes, then Calkins connected with Bartlett again at 16:38 to make it 13-6, then Mahanna picked up a loose ball and cut in for a tight finish at 14:29 to give the Warriors their biggest lead of the game at the time.
- The Blue Devils tacked on a pair in less than a minute, but Merrimack got it right back. Sydney Leeds notched her second assist of the year when she set up Bartlett for the senior's fourth of the day at 12:09, then Kirsten McIntire made it three Warriors with their first career goal on the day when she fired one home at 11:25. Both markers came with Central Connecticut down a player.
- The hosts cut the deficit to seven with just over 10 minutes to play, but Calkins completed a hat trick of her own with 6:41 to go on an incredible turnaround shot that found the back of the net.
- Merrimack tallied two of the game's final three goals, including another first career goal when Mollie Morrison deposited a pass from Dzialo at 2:06. Scearbo completed the scoring with 11 seconds to play and Dzialo picked up another helper to make it nine points on the day.
Notes & Numbers
- Bartlett now has 11 draw controls in the past two games, as she led the Warriors with five on the day.
- Dzialo, Tinnerello, Holly Schweitzer, Kelly Corrigan, Kelsey Daly and Kylie Ward all had one caused turnover.
- Schweitzer's three ground balls marked a single game career-high and were a team-high.
- Dzialo has now scored 17 goals and totaled 21 points in her last three games. She also has a goals per game pace of 3.80, which leads the NEC and is currently the sixth best rate in program history in a single season.
- Bartlett now has 188 points in her Warrior career, which is one behind Maddie Basile '10 for seventh all-time in program history.
- Shots (MER-CCSU): 44-25 (34-21 SOG)
- Draw Controls (MER-CCSU): 16-14 Ground Balls (MER-CCSU): 19-20
- Turnovers (MER-CCSU): 15-20 // Clears (MER-CCSU): 24-27 // 21-25
Up Next
The Warriors head to Smithfield, R.I. Wednesday for a 3:00 matchup against Bryant.
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