Late Surge Lifts Sacred Heart Over Merrimack in MAAC Opener, Pioneers Remain Undefeated

Saturday, March 7

Fairfield, Conn.

12:00 PM

Sacred Heart

6-0, 1-0

Merrimack College

1-6, 0-1

Merrimack

Sacred Heart

Photo by: Greg Vasil

Late Surge Lifts Sacred Heart Over Merrimack in MAAC Opener, Pioneers Remain Undefeated

3/7/2026 2:57:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. — After trailing by four goals in the second half, the Sacred Heart University men's lacrosse team scored six unanswered goals to rally past Merrimack, 12–10, in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opener Saturday afternoon.

John Murray led the Pioneers with five goals, while first-year Jake Carney recorded his fourth hat trick of the season as Sacred Heart extended its winning streak to six games.

Records:
Sacred Heart: 6-0
Merrimack: 1-6

Stat Leaders:
John Murray: 5 goals
Jake Carney: 3 goals, 1 assist
Tommy Bull: 1 goal, 1 assist
Michael Moreschi: 1 goal, 1 assist
James Moran: 1 goal, 1 assist
Craig Daria: 12 saves

How it happened:
Sacred Heart struck first when senior Michael Moreschi scored just 28 seconds into the game. Merrimack responded a few minutes later to even the score at 1-1. Less than a minute after the equalizer, James Moran found Tommy Bull for his sixth goal of the season to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead.

Merrimack answered again to tie the game, but Murray netted his 10th goal of the season to put Sacred Heart back in front, 3-2, with 5:15 remaining in the first quarter. The Warriors closed the opening frame with three straight goals to take a 5-3 lead.

Merrimack added two more goals early in the second quarter to extend its advantage to four, 7-3. The Pioneers responded with three consecutive goals, including two from Carney and one from Murray, to cut the deficit to one, 7-6, at halftime.

The Warriors came out strong in the third quarter, scoring three straight goals to push their lead to 10-6. However, Merrimack would not score again.

Tim Kiely started the Sacred Heart comeback with a goal at the 4:21 mark of the third quarter, trimming the deficit to three heading into the final period.

The Pioneers then erupted for five consecutive goals in the fourth quarter, including three from Murray, one from Carney, and the eventual game-winner from Moran, completing the comeback victory.

Senior goalkeeper Craig Daria finished with 12 saves, marking his fifth double-digit save performance of the season.

Up Next:
Sacred Heart returns to action Saturday, March 14, when it travels to Mount St. Mary's at noon.