FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Le Moyne and Merrimack Heading to NCAA Semifinals.
Merrimack 14, Adelphi 12 - Box Score
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – After trailing by as many as three goals early on, the seventh-ranked Merrimack men's lacrosse program weathered the storm, fought back and eventually pulled ahead for good in the third quarter before holding off third-ranked Adelphi late to send the Warriors back to the semifinal round of the NCAA Division II Men's Lacrosse Championship for the fifth year in a row, the nation's longest active streak.
Senior Michael O'Connell netted the decisive tally with 6:34 to play in the contest; the Panthers pulled to within two with 3:30 left, but sophomore Christian Thomas, who finished with a game-high five points on three goals and two assists, came up with a key response a minute later to go back up by three. Adelphi would only get one more the rest of the way, as the Warriors earned another road win – their second in four days – to advance in the national tournament.
Those dramatics followed a back-and-forth first half; the Panthers built a three-goal lead before Merrimack answered with three straight to draw even (4-4). The Warriors would go up by two, but the seesaw affair continued as Adelphi went back up by a goal before ultimately conceding the equalizer before the half. The slugfest ensued in the third until a goal by long stick midfielder Christian Glover gave them a 10-9 lead that they would never relinquish.
Awaiting Merrimack in the national semifinals is top-seeded Le Moyne, the 2019 Northeast-10 Conference champion, which dispatched fourth-seeded Mercy earlier today. The two rivals, which have already met twice this season (and split both meetings), will face off next Saturday (May 18) at noon in Syracuse.
Le Moyne 14, Mercy 4 - Box Score
Syracuse, N.Y. – Junior attackman Matt Hutchings scored three goals in the first quarter to lead the second-ranked and top-seeded Le Moyne men's lacrosse team to a 14-4 win over the eighth-ranked and fourth-seeded Mercy College in the NCAA Championship quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon at Ted Grant Field.
With the victory, the Dolphins advance to the NCAA semifinals for the 14th time in 18 years and will host seventh-ranked and sixth-seeded Merrimack College on Saturday, May 18 at 12:00 p.m. The Dolphins and Warriors will meet in the semifinals for the third time in five years (2015, 2016 and 2019) and in the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in five years (also 2017 quarterfinals).
After Mercy's first shot of the game was saved, Hutchings got the Dolphins on the scoreboard just over three minutes into the game. He followed again 1:26 later at the 11:31 mark with his 34th goal of the season.
Jack Gibbons answered at the 9:39 mark with his 22nd goal of the season to get the Mavericks within 2-1.
The Dolphins scored the final two goals of the quarter for a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes of play. Off a restart of a missed shot, junior attackman Riley Larson came around the left post to tally his 38th goal of the season with 7:48 left in the quarter. Hutchings capped the scoring in the quarter with 3:41 left after taking a pass from sophomore midfielder Evan Kelly. With the goal, Hutchings becomes just the fifth player in the program's history to have at least 35 goals and 25 assists in the same season and the first to do so since Brandon Spillett '05 in 2004.
-Recaps provided by Le Moyne and Merrimack athletic communications offices-
ABOUT THE NE10
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Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.