NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — New Haven women's lacrosse (1-3) fell to Merrimack College (1-5) with an 18-8 defeat on Wednesday at Duane Stadium. Despite the outcome, the Chargers noted a balanced offensive performance, recording six assists across their eight goals.

The game opened with New Haven's Sophia Devaney (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Memorial) scoring a free-position goal at 13:10, initially putting the Chargers ahead. Merrimack quickly countered with a series of goals, including two from Lindsay Atkinson assisted by Hailey Schider, taking a 4-1 lead. The Chargers narrowed the margin as Helena Dunwoody (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich) scored twice, her second goal coming in a man-up situation assisted by Caitlin Seleny (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton), reducing the deficit to 4-3. Dunwoody continued her scoring streak, marking her third consecutive game with three-plus goals. Merrimack closed the first quarter with a 6-3 lead following goals from Schider and Atkinson.

In the second quarter, Merrimack extended their lead, starting with a goal from Sophia Ingenito at 12:41 with assistance from Atkinson. Mia Estelle followed up with a goal at 11:56, shortly after Merrimack secured the draw. The Chargers faced challenges in capitalizing on opportunities, including a free-position attempt by Dunwoody that hit the post at 11:02. Merrimack's offensive push persisted, with Schider scoring at 9:21 and additional goals from Lindie Brinkman and Ashlyn Campbell, leaving New Haven scoreless in the quarter and trailing 11-3 at halftime.

Merrimack continued their momentum in the third quarter, adding four more goals. Ashlyn Campbell scored at 13:55, assisted by Atkinson, followed by a goal from Brinkman with an assist from Estelle. Schider contributed two more goals, including a man-up score at 9:23, assisted by Alli Lamphere. New Haven responded with a goal from Summer Castiglione (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial), assisted by Seleny at 3:35, and another from Taryn Murphy (Bohemia, N.Y./Connetquot) at 1:04. Despite their efforts, the Chargers trailed 15-5 at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter saw Merrimack's Schider score a man-up goal 29 seconds in, assisted by Liv Keenan. New Haven responded with Seleny scoring at 10:45, assisted by Castiglione. Merrimack added to their lead with a goal from Camryn Chamberlain at 5:09, assisted by Atkinson. The Chargers closed the gap with goals from Dunwoody at 3:36, assisted by Seleny, and Lucy Shafer (Haymarket, Va./Battfleield) at 1:23, with Castiglione assisting, ending the quarter with a 3-3 score.

New Haven Top Performers

Helena Dunwoody (East Greenwich, R.I./East Greenwich)
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- 3 goals
- 7 shots
- 5 shots on goal

Caitlin Seleny (Derry, N.H./Pinkerton)
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- 1 goal
- 3 assists
- 4 shots

Summer Castiglione (Brick, N.J./Brick Memorial)
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- 1 goal
- 2 assists
- 3 shots

Up Next: The Chargers will travel to face Quinnipiac University on Saturday, March 7 at 11 a.m. in Hamden, Conn.