Saint Francis is coming off of a hard fought victory this past Thursday against Howard as they were able to escape with a 2-1 win. Tomke Dziesiaty scored the first goal of the match for the Red Flash at the beginning of the second half off of a corner kick which Lauren Pyle was credited with the assist. Just a short time later the Bison were able to even the score with a penalty kick goal in the 70th minute. Saint Francis then was able to fight back and score a goal off of a centering pass from Dziesiaty that hit off of a Bison defender and rolled into the net to decide the match. 

WORD ON MERRIMACK
The Warriors come into Thursday's match fresh off a win against new NEC member Stonehill by a score of 4-1. They own a 5-5-3 overall record, and their one conference loss came at the hands of Sacred Heart by a score of 4-0. Merrimack is led on offense by sophomore forward Ella Cormier who has four goals and two assists this season to lead the team and also has the most points and shots for the Warriors. The Warriors in net are guided by Lily Morgan who has 67 saves on the season with 17 goals allowed, she is also the reigning NEC Defensive Player of the Week after recording two assists in the win against Stonehill.

LAST TIME WE MET
These two teams met last year in Loretto when the Warriors were able to escape with a 2-0 victory at Stokes Soccerplex. This is only the third match in the series history as Saint Francis won the first match in 2019 by a score of 3-2 in overtime with Corinne Renninger recording an assist in that victory.

UP NEXT
The Red Flash will have a quick turnaround as they face off against Stonehill this Sunday, which will also be Senior Day at Stokes Soccerplex. The three seniors on the Red Flash (Ellie Aston, Corinne Renninger, and Jaela House) will be honored prior to the match for their contributions to the team. The match is scheduled for 12 p.m. and can be seen live on NEC Front Row.