NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 24, 2019) – It was 11 straight goals out of the gate for No. 21 nationally ranked Merrimack on Wednesday night, which left the Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team in far too deep of a hole in the season's penultimate game. Junior attack Ally DaCosta piled up 12 points on three goals and nine assists to lead Merrimack in what was ultimately a 16-3 win over the visiting Ravens in a Northeast-10 Conference affair at Duane Stadium.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 6-9 (3-9 NE10), while Merrimack improves to 8-7 (8-4 NE10).

Merrimack took the drama out of the proceedings early on Wednesday night. The Warriors poured in 11 straight goals over the game's opening 14 minutes and never looked back. Sophomore attack Haley Bartlett scored four times in the run, while senior attack Amber Feminella added three scores. DaCosta scored twice and dished out seven assists, as she factored in on nine of the 11 goals in the opening run.

Franklin Pierce picked up first-half goals from freshman midfielder Megyn Ayotte (Guilford, Conn.) and junior attack Bella Lima (Hudson, Mass.), but trailed 14-2 heading into halftime. Freshman attack Savannah Ernst (American Fork, Utah) added a second-half goal after the Warriors had added two of their own, as just three goals were scored in the game's second period.

In addition to the three goal scorers, freshman midfielder Jenna Cimbron (Bristol, R.I.) notched an assist for Franklin Pierce.

For Merrimack, DaCosta (3-9-12), Feminella (4-1-5) and Bartlett (4-1-5) led the way, as each had at least five points on the night. Feminella added eight draw controls, as Merrimack won 15 of the game's 20 draws. Sophomore midfielder Meghan Dzialo picked up three ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers.

Freshman goalkeeper Megan Bacik (Huntington Station, N.Y.) logged the first half in the Franklin Pierce net and suffered the loss (6-8) after failing to make a save on 14 shots. Junior Casey Butera (West Milford, N.J.) took over for the second half and made seven saves against nine shots.

It was senior Lauren Trepaney (6-7) in the Merrimack crease for the opening 45:24, and she picked up the win after finishing with seven saves against nine shots. Junior Tammy Nguyen stopped two of three shots over the final 14:36 to finish things off.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 27, when they wrap up the season by playing host to Pace in an NE10 contest. Game time is set for 1 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge. 

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (https://www.fpuravens.com/store).