WINTER PARK, Fla. (March 10, 2010) - Taking on their second nationally-ranked opponent of the season, the Rollins men's lacrosse team suffered a 14-4 setback as they took on No. 6 Merrimack College on Wednesday afternoon at Showalter Field.

Rollins (2-3) was led by Charlie Shelly with a team best two goals on the afternoon. Newcomers Justin Wright and Eric Schmit each placed one shot between the pipes, with Wright and Austin Ricci recording an assist apiece.

No. 6 Merrimack picks up their second straight victory to open the season, and advances to an overall mark of 2-0. Led by Corey Lunney with five goals, the Warriors saw scoring efforts from six different players, while five players earned credit for assists, led by Mark Webber with a total of three.

The Tars saw action from junior duo Zach Cole and Doug O'Brien in cage. Cole, who allowed 10 goals while making seven saves, stepped out in the second half to allow O'Brien to close out the contest. O'Brien completed the afternoon allowing four goals while setting aside eight shots in 29 minutes of action.

The Warriors were backed up by a trio of goalies, with Cory Spinale earning the victory after allowing only two goals and making a team best four saves. Matt Austin and Dave Roberto also saw time between the pipes for Merrimack.

Rollins found themselves in a two-goal hole after nine minutes of play, but Shelly netted a shot off of a Wright assist to put the Tars up on the scoreboard with 6:12 to go in the first quarter, creating just a one goal deficit

Merrimack closed the quarter with two more tallies to close out the first period with a 4-1 advantage. The Warriors continued their hot streak throughout the second quarter, outscoring the Tars 5-0, giving them a 9-1 lead at the half.

Rollins eventually snapped an eight goal run from Merrimack in the third quarter, with an unassisted goal from Wright with 4:15 remaining before the final break. But Merrimack notched one more goal of their own to close out the third period with a stifling 13-2 lead.

The Tars outscored their opponent 2-1 in the final quarter, but could never hit their stride as the Warriors concluded the game with a ten goal advantage over Rollins. With a faceoff advantage of 12 of 21, the Warriors were also successful on 100 percent of their man-up opportunities, while Rollins only triumphed on 1 of 4 attempts.

The Tars return to action on Saturday, March 13, when they host Pace University. Game time is set for noon at Showalter Field in Winter Park.

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WINTER PARK, FL – The Merrimack men's lacrosse team made it two straight victories in its Florida trip, cruising to a 14-4 victory over Rollins College Wednesday afternoon.

Eight of the Warriors' goals came from newcomers, including five more from Corey Lunney (Little Silver, NJ), who has 10 goals and 13 points in his first two collegiate games. Lunney's classmates, Nick Vazquez (Haverhill, MA) and Greg Melaugh (Billerica, MA) each added their first career goals, with Vazquez getting two in the victory.

David Robinson (Lexington, MA) chipped in with a career-high three goals, while senior captain Mark Webber (Mansfield, MA) dished out three assists. Bryan MacPhie (Scarborough, ME) totaled two goals and two assists, while Nick Maggio (Winchester, MA) won 10 of 17 faceoffs.

Lunney netted two goals in a 54-second span midway through the first to give Merrimack the 2-0 lead. They took an 11-1 lead at halftime, outscoring Rollins 8-0 in the second, as Greg Fallon (North Kingston, RI), Melaugh and Lunney scored 2:35 apart early in the second.

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2010-03-10