Michael White led with four shots on goal, but the Skyhawks couldn't connect against #16 Merrimack. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Three first-half goals ground Skyhawks

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (September 22, 2010) – The Stonehill College men’s soccer team lost a 3-0 Northeast-10 decision Wednesday to host Merrimack College, currently ranked 16th in Division II by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

The Warriors scored three times in the first half, getting goals from freshman Francis Mulkern (Scituate, Mass./Sacred Heart), sophomore Olof Lindhe (Stockholm, Sweden/Bromma Gymnasium), and junior Robbie Sabadoz (Ottawa, Ont./Woodroffe). The Stonehill offense was led by junior Michael White (Lisbon, N.H./Lisbon Regional), who put four shots on target, but the Skyhawks couldn’t solve Merrimack goalkeeper Kevin Joyce (Mansfield, Mass./Bishop Feehan), who finished with five saves. Senior Brandon McFarlane (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Academy) matched him with five saves for Stonehill.

The Warriors first struck in the 23rd minute when Mulkern put back a rebound off Lindhe’s attempt from the right side. Lindhe connected for a goal of his own minutes later, netting a header off a corner kick, and Sabadoz finished in the 39th minute with a shot from the top of the box to give Merrimack the 3-0 lead.

The Skyhawks held a second-half advantage in shots, taking eight to Merrimack’s five, but neither side could find the back of the net again.

Stonehill (3-2-1, 1-2-1 NE-10) is back at home on September 25, taking on Southern Connecticut State University at 11 a.m.