Early Goal Doesn’t Hold Up In 3-1 Loss

North Andover, Mass. - A goal from captain Joey Silva (Brockton, Mass.) in the third minute didn't hold up as Merrimack senior Tokelo Gugushe scored two goals and senior Keil Milliken added another as Merrimack College defeated Stonehill, 3-1 in Northeast-10 action Wednesday evening at Warrior Field.

The win lifts the Warriors to 4-1-1 (1-0-1 NE-10) on the season while the Skyhawks fall to 1-2 (0-2 NE-10) with the loss.

Stonehill jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just 2:26 into the contest. Kevin Halloran (Tyngsboro, Mass.) sent a pass to Richard Carvalho (Hollis, N.H.), who fed Silva to give the Skyhawks the advantage. The Warriors tied the game at one when Gugushe netted a goal off a pass from junior Tiago Dalboni at 18:09.

Merrimack took the lead for good with less than 10 minutes remaining in the first half when Gugushe gathered a loose ball in front and poked a shot past keeper Brian Guerrini (Glastonbury, Conn.) at 38:24. Milliken added an insurance goal at 84:18.

The Warriors outshot the Skyhawks 14-5 and held a 5-1 edge in corner kicks. Guerrini finished with five saves while junior Rob Pedra made two for the Warriors.

The Skyhawks return to action on Saturday when they step outside of Northeast-10 action for a matchup with Goldey-Beacom at Skyhawk Field. Game time is set for 1 p.m.