Box Score WALTHAM, Mass. – Bentley outscored No. 3 ranked Merrimack 7-4 in the 2nd half, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Warriors who came away with the 12-8 decision on Saturday afternoon in a Northeast-10 matchup.
Merrimack scored three goals inside the first four-plus minutes of the game, but didn't score again in the first quarter. They scored two more inside the opening three-plus minutes of the 2nd quarter to take a 5-0 lead, and that fast start proved to be the difference.
Bentley however made it close in the 2nd half. They embarked on a 4-0 run that stretched from the midway point of the 3rd quarter into the 4th, which cut its deficit to 10-5. Senior Matt Brigham (Portsmouth, R.I./Portsmouth) and junior John Wheeler (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) scored at the 8:29 and 6:22 marks, respectively, of the 3rd quarter.
In the 4th, Matt Sanford (Stratham, N.H./Bow) and Joe DiRaimo (Huntington, N.Y./John Glenn) found the back of the net in the first two minutes to cut the deficit to 10-5 .
A Merrimack goal from attacker Brendan Donnelly at the 10:45 mark gave the Warriors an 11-5 lead. Bentley then scored twice more in quick succession after a three minute lull. Freshman Alex Astarita (Bedford, N.H./Bishop Guertin) scored at 7:05, followed by a strike from Sam Hurley (Medfield, Mass./Medfield) at 6:22, which cut Merrimack's lead to 11-7. However, that's as close as they could get.
Sophomore Chris Wiggins (Acton, Mass./Acton-Boxborough) added a goal with 2:16 remaining.
Merrimack improved to 11-1 overall and 9-1 Northeast-10 with the win, while the Falcons dropped to 6-5 overall and 5-4 NE-10. The Falcons will look to get back in the win column on Tuesday night when they visit Saint Anselm.
