NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.—The Hobart College lacrosse team rallied from an early four-goal deficit to post a 12-11 Northeast Conference victory at Merrimack College this afternoon. The Statesmen picked up their second straight win to improve to 4-5 overall, 2-3 in the conference, while the Warriors saw their two-game win streak end, slipping to 5-5, 2-3 in the NEC.
Hobart goalie
Kevin Holtby matched his season-high with 14 saves to earn the win, while faceoff specialist
Adam Shea produced another strong effort at the X, winning 15-of-25 with a game-high eight ground balls. The balanced offense was led by attackman
Tommy Mott's three points on a goal and two assists.
Chad Bach,
Anthony Dattellas,
John Herlihy,
Derrek Madonna and
Bradley Simas each scored twice for the Statesmen.
Merrimack got a five-goal game from Christian Thomas. Goalie Henry Vogt also finished with 14 saves.
Thomas scored back-to-back goals to open the day's scoring, sparking a four-goal run for the home team. Hobart broke up the shutout with just under four minutes left in the first quarter. Herlihy fired a 12-yard shot into the upper left corner of the cage to get the Statesmen rolling. Two minutes later, he scored his 18th goal of the season to make it 4-2. Dattellas inked his name on the box score in the final minute of the opening quarter to make it a 4-3 game heading into the second.
The defenses controlled the first nine minutes of the second quarter. Thomas finally broke through six minutes before halftime for a two-goal Merrimack lead. Just over a minute later, Bach rifled a 10-yard shot past Vogt and two minutes after that Madonna flicked a quick shot from the edge of the crease in to tie the game. Hobart took the lead into halftime after Mott found Dattellas on the doorstep. The midfielder scored from nearly the same spot as Madonna with a behind the back shot into the lower right corner.
Holtby made 10 of his 14 saves in the first half, including six in the second quarter.
The teams traded goals throughout the third quarter with the Statesmen outscoring the Warriors 3-2 to carry a 9-7 lead into the final frame.
Less than a minute into the fourth quarter, Madonna scored his 15th of the season, giving Hobart its biggest lead of the day, 10-7. Merrimack countered with three of the next four goals to get within one with 8:12 remaining. After Jack Rooney's goal made it a 12-11, Shea won the ensuing faceoff and raced right to the goal, beating Vogt with a straight on shot from 10-yards out. Thomas brought it back to a one-goal game with 6:25 remaining, but Holtby made two saves and saw a third shot hit the post down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Hobart will end the regular season with a pair of home games, hosting Long Island University (6-6, 3-2) on April 23 and Mount St. Mary's (5-8, 2-3) on April 30. The Statesmen are currently tied for fourth place in the NEC standings with the Mountaineers and Warriors, although Merrimack is ineligible for the postseason as it completes its transition from Division II to Division I.
