#9 Merrimack Takes Down Franklin Pierce, 14-5
Balbuena registers a game-high five points to lead the Warriors
|
Lucas Hamory scored a goal on
Tuesday at Merrimack.
|
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April
15, 2008) – Merrimack College, tied for ninth in
this week’s United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse
Association Div. II poll, scored the first 10 goals of the game in
taking a 14-5 win over Franklin Pierce University in Northeast-10
Conference men’s lacrosse action on Tuesday night at Warrior
Field.
Freshman Michael Balbuena (Falmouth, Mass./Falmouth) led all
scorers with three goals and two assists for five points, while
teammates Greg Rogowski (Cohoes, N.Y./Christian Brothers) and
Dennis Rugg (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) each had three goals for
the Warriors.
Seven different Raven players recorded one point on the evening,
as five players found the back of the net and two recorded an
assist.
Rogowski scored the game’s first two goals in the opening
3:51 to give Merrimack an early lead. Balbuena and Rugg each scored
three times during the team’s opening 10-goal flurry, with
Rugg netting the last tally before junior Ryan Boller (New Canaan,
Conn./New Canaan) finally ended the streak with 7:26 remaining in
the first half.
After Rogowski scored his third of the game 17 seconds into the
third quarter, Franklin Pierce scored four goals to
Merrimack’s two the rest of the way but could not get closer
than nine goals. Sophomore Lucas Hamory (Canton,
Mass./Canton) and junior Jon Priest (Burlington,
Mass./Landmark School) scored 14 seconds apart midway
through the third quarter to lower the lead to 12-3, while
sophomore Kurt Vaughan (Croton-on-Hudson,
N.Y./Croton-Harmon) ended the scoring with his first of
the year with only two seconds left in the game.
Merrimack sophomore Cory Spinale (Wakefield, Mass./Governor Dummer
Academy) made eight saves on nine shots in the first 30 minutes of
play to earn the win. Freshman goaltender Shea Campbell
(Centerport, N.Y./Harborfields) stopped 14 of 28 shots for
Franklin Pierce.
Franklin Pierce (2-8, 1-5 NE-10) returns home on Friday night,
when the Ravens host Pace University in a conference matchup at 6
p.m. Merrimack (8-2, 5-2 NE-10) will also take on Pace on Thursday
afternoon at 4 p.m.