CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's lacrosse team was defeated by the Harvard Crimson this afternoon.
 
The Basics
Score: Merrimack 4, Harvard 18
Records: Merrimack (2-9, 2-3 NEC) | Harvard (7-2, 2-1)
 
Rapid Recap
Merrimack faced off just down the road with Harvard University for a rare Tuesday evening match. The Warriors knew it was going to be a tough game coming in as Harvard boasted a 6-2 record, including a victory over ranked Brown University. The Crimson were in control out of the gate scoring all 6 goals of the 1^st quarter. Merrimack tried to get things going, but could not convert their free position shots and found it tough to get past the Harvard defense. Natalie Calkins would get the Warriors on the board with their first goal at 9:45 in the 2^nd quarter. The Crimson tacked on 2 more goals to make the game 10-1 until Calkins scored her second goal of the evening thanks to an assist by Lindsay Atkinson to make the game 10-2 entering the half.
 
Merrimack was blanked yet again in the 3^rd quarter as the Harvard offense continued to score. The Warriors would find themselves down 15-2 with one quarter remaining. Natalie Calkins netted herself a hat trick with 9:43 in the 4^th, making it the third time she's accomplished the feat this season. Junior midfielder Ellen Church would record her first assist of the season as she dropped off a pass to Georgia Parker who buried it into the back of the net. Merrimack would ultimately fall to the Crimson 18-4. Ranked 26^th in the nation, Harvard was by far the toughest test for the Warriors this season, giving Merrimack a great chance to learn and get better as they look to finish off the season strong.

Notes and Numbers

• Natalie Calkins recorded a team-high 3 goals
• Hayley Kowalczyk saved 14 shots
• Lindsay Atkinson collected 3 ground balls

Up Next
The Warriors will host Senior Day before their next NEC matchup this Saturday, April 6^th at noon against Howard University.