NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's lacrosse team lost in a close matchup with the Le Moyne College Dolphins.
 
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 7, Le Moyne 8
Records: Merrimack (1-8, 1-3 NEC) | Le Moyne (4-4, 3-0)
 
Rapid Recap
North Andover, Massachusetts saw torrential downpours and even snow the night prior which had an effect on the field and the way the game was played. Goals would be hard to come by as the wet and slippery conditions made it hard for either team to possess the ball. Grad student Sophie Scearbo got the Warriors started with a goal four minutes into the quarter. Not many offensive opportunities were given, but Le Moyne was able to capitalize and take the lead a little over halfway through the 1^st quarter. Great ball movement allowed Merrimack to tie the game up with just under two minutes to go. We entered the 2^nd quarter tied and neither the Warriors nor the Dolphins could find the back of the net. Turnovers would play a major factor in the offensive part of the game, as even with woman-up opportunities, each team was able to kill them off. Le Moyne scored a couple of goals in the latter part of the half to give them a 4-2 lead. Merrimack responded with yet another Sophie Scearbo goal, but the Dolphins would squeak another one by at the end to lead 5-3 going into the half.
 
The poor weather conditions made for a short halftime break as either team looked to establish a run on offense. Le Moyne tallied another goal onto their lead to make the game 6-3. Staying in the game, the Warriors scored, but the first woman-up goal of the match gave the Dolphins a 3-goal lead yet again. Merrimack continued to fight in the 4^th quarter and against all odds began to mount a comeback. Down 3 goals with 5 minutes remaining, Natalie Calkins would get herself on the board and cut the deficit to two. A free position opportunity gave Sophie Scearbo her 6^th goal of the match, tying her career-high from last season, and brought the Warriors to within a goal with just 96 seconds left. Merrimack was able to get the ball back, but a crucial turnover allowed Le Moyne to close things out and win the game 8-7.

Notes and Numbers

• Sophie Scearbo had a monstrous performance with 6 goals on the afternoon
• Natalie Calkins notched a goal and an assist
• Kaitlin Roche led the team with 4 draw controls

Up Next
The Warriors head back on the road as they travel south to play the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils on Wednesday, March 27^th at 3:00 PM.