The Merrimack Warriors hosted the Marist Red Foxes for a Saturday morning MAAC matchup. The visiting Red Foxes (now 5-5-4, 4-0-4 in MAAC) improved their record against Merrimack, coming out on top and earning a key 3-2 victory.
Merrimack (4-6-2, 3-4-0 in MAAC) entered its date with the Red Foxes on the front foot. The Warriors maintained heavy possession early in the first half, creating several chances, eventually taking a 1-0 lead.
Marist staged a comeback, scoring three unanswered goals to preserve its now nine-game unbeaten streak. Senior midfielder Olivia Lindsay led the way for the Red Foxes, scoring two goals in her first-ever multigoal game.
Merrimack’s early pressure paid off midway through the half, following a direct free kick from junior forward Sophia Keogh, leading to an own goal off a header that slipped into the top left corner past an unlucky senior goalkeeper, Maddy Catalanotti, giving Merrimack the 1-0 advantage.
Following this lead, Marist responded with intensity, taking the next six shots on goal, one of which came from graduate student midfielder Ava Nielsen, who prompted a diving save from sophomore goalkeeper Kaitlyn Brewi, who recorded seven saves on the day.
Merrimack outshot the Red Foxes 16 to 15, generating more overall attempts, but the Red Foxes capitalized on the more dangerous attacks, like corner kicks. Ten of which were on target for Marist, while Merrimack only managed three on goal.
The Red Foxes eventually broke through in the final minute of the half, after a scramble in the box off a corner. The Warriors failed to find a clearance, and substitute sophomore midfielder/forward Julia Oliveira pounced, firing a one-timer into the top left corner to equalize just before halftime. The score marked Oliveira’s first collegiate goal.
Just ten minutes into the second half, following a corner kick from sophomore forward Gabby Tirado, senior defender Anna Maggi delivered a left-footed cross which found Lindsay for a header over Brewi, giving Marist a well-deserved 2-1 lead.
Minutes later, the Red Foxes struck again, following another corner kick from Tirado, this time in which sophomore midfielder Sophia Dorsey got to the end of passing it to Lindsay, tapping it in for her second of the game, marking a 3-1 lead for the Foxes.
Lindsay’s two goals make her the team’s second leading goal scorer with four goals, behind Tirado, who leads the team with six.
Merrimack showed late fight, pulling one back with ten minutes to go as sophomore defensive back Taylor Pedra slipped in a floated pass across the 18 to find an isolated Lilly Cook, a sophomore forward from Texas, for a brilliant one-timer into the bottom right past a diving Catalanotti, who finished with two saves on the day.
Marist responded immediately with four substitutions following the Merrimack goal. Marist substitutes contributed to an abundance of the 15 total shots, with eight shots and six of them being on target.
Despite the late push from the Warriors, Marist held firm at the back. A last-minute Merrimack free kick that sailed over the bar marked the win for Marist, who now improves their away record to 3-3-1.
An undefeated conference Marist now sits fourth in the MAAC standings just behind Sacred Heart, Fairfield, and Quinnipiac. Marist looks to extend its MAAC record vs Manhattan (5-4-4) in another MAAC away game. Kickoff is scheduled for Oct. 15th at 3 p.m.
Edited by Ben Leeds
Graphic by Isabel Cortese
Photo from Jaylen Rizzo
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