NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (April 4, 2017) – The Franklin Pierce University women's lacrosse team put away five of the game's first six goals on Tuesday afternoon, keying a 10-goal first half which put the Ravens on the way to a 16-8 win over Merrimack in Northeast-10 Conference play. Junior midfielder Caitlin Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) piled up eight points on six goals and two assists to lead the way at Martone-Mejail Field.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 4-4 (2-4 NE10), while Merrimack falls to 3-7 (1-5 NE10).

Sweeney -- who notched her 100th career goal on Sunday and is now just seven points from 150 for her career -- was the story of the opening 10 minutes on Tuesday. She set up the game's first goal, by junior attack Julia Miller (Westfield, Mass.) 2:53 in, then fired in three straight goals of her own, as the Ravens jumped to a 4-0 lead in just the opening 4:25.

Merrimack answered with four of the next five goals, including a pair from senior attack Hunter McCarthy, to cut the lead down to 5-4 with 17:49 to play in the opening stanza.

From there, though, Franklin Pierce seized control by pouring in the next five goals, including another from Sweeney, as well as a pair from junior attack Anna Wilbert (Bohemia, N.Y.). McCarthy set up sophomore attack Amber Feminella for the half's final goal, as Merrimack made it a 10-5 game headed into the intermission.

The Ravens put the game on ice coming out of the break, as they struck for the first three goals of the second half, coming from three different goal scorers. A free-position goal by junior midfielder Briana Sweeney (Shirley, N.Y.) extended the lead to 13-5 with 20:30 to play. The teams then split the final six goals of the afternoon, as Franklin Pierce came away with the 16-8 victory.

Behind Caitlin Sweeney (6-2-8), Wilbert chipped in four goals, while junior defender Megan Schaeffer (Brookhaven, N.Y.) added three points (1-2-3) as well. Caitlin Sweeney hauled in seven more draw controls, giving her 35 on the season, which is good enough to tie for third in the NE10. Senior midfielder Kenady Kelly (Plymouth, N.H.) and senior goalkeeper Denise Hunt (Hull, Mass.) collected three ground balls each.

For Merrimack, McCarthy (2-2-4) led the way, while freshman midfielder Olivia Colletti (3-0-3) was the only other Warrior with more than two points. Sophomore midfielder Bridget Schofield rounded up 10 draw controls on the day.

Hunt (4-4) finished with seven saves against 15 shots on goal to pick up the win in net for Franklin Pierce. Sophomore Lauren Trepaney (1-4) played the opening 22:20 at the other end of the field and made just four saves against 14 shots while taking the loss for Merrimack. Junior Alexa Petzold took over for the final 37:40 and made three saves against nine shots.

The Ravens return to the field on Saturday, April 8, when they return home to host Southern New Hampshire in an NE10 contest. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. at Sodexo Field in Rindge.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce lacrosse apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).