Bucknell University
0-1
Merrimack
1-0
Men's Lacrosse Falls on the Road at Merrimack in Season Opener, 14-10
2/3/2024 4:07:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – A 7-0 Merrimack run in the middle portions of Saturday's season-opener proved too much for the Bucknell men's lacrosse team to overcome, as the Warriors held on for a 14-10 victory at Duane Stadium. Connor Davis led the Bison with five goals – the seventh five-goal effort of his career.
The Warriors' scoring streak lasted over 15 minutes of game action and gave them an 11-4 lead. The Bison responded with four unanswered and outscored Merrimack 6-3 the rest of the way, but they never got closer than three of tying.
The Bison were hampered by 21 turnovers to Merrimack's 16, but they held the advantage in faceoffs (15-12) and were a solid 88 percent on clears. Merrimack also benefited from seven man-up opportunities and made good on three of them while Bucknell was 1 for 2.
Freshman Peter Grandolfo followed Davis with three goals. The Bison have now had a rookie register a hat trick in his first collegiate game three years in a row. Michael Meyer posted four points on a goal and three assists, and Cam Doolan contributed a goal and an assist.
Brendan Coyle took 26 of the 27 faceoffs and led the team with eight ground balls, followed by three other Bison with three each. Louie Germain was the only Bison with multiple caused turnovers, posting two.
Merrimack's Jack Kolbe recorded a team-high four goals, and Jack Rooney posted seven points on a goal and six assists.
Bucknell's only lead of the game came just under five minutes into the contest, when Davis scored unassisted to make it 1-0. It was one of four unassisted goals by the Bison. The Warriors quickly responded, capitalizing on a pair of man-up goals and taking a 3-2 lead into the second quarter.
Grandolfo tied the game at 3-apiece early in the second, and Davis' second goal of the game tied it again at 4-4 thanks to a Chris Begier helper with 6:38 to go in the half. It would be the last time the two teams were knotted up, as Merrimack scored twice at the end of the second to carry a 6-4 lead into the locker rooms.
Merrimack's two goals at the end of the half were just the start of its 7-0 run, which spanned more than half of the third quarter. Four of the goals were scored in less than two minutes in the third. Grandolfo finally stopped the bleeding with a goal at the 6:10 mark in the third, which sparked Bucknell's 4-0 run. Meyer assisted on the first three goals of the run and scored the fourth himself, getting the Bison within three at 11-8 with 14:45 to go in the game. The two teams traded goals from that point.
Max Nolan went all 60 minutes in goal for the Bison and made 11 saves. Merrimack's Henry Vogt made 10 saves against Bucknell's 32 shots (20 SOG) and received the win.
Bucknell is back on the road next Saturday, Feb. 10 to face Marist in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
