Liam MacKenzie – Treasurer/Sports Editor
North Andover, MA – Merrimack Men’s Soccer has opened its 2026 campaign with a 0-1-1 record after facing a pair of challenging in-state opponents on the road. The Warriors dropped their season opener to Boston College before battling Holy Cross to a 2-2 draw.
A Difficult Opening Against Boston College – Merrimack began the season on Aug. 20 against Boston College at Newton Campus Field. The Warriors faced an early deficit when Boston College’s Ismail Dia found the back of the net in the 18th minute.
The Eagles continued to build momentum in the opening half, adding goals from Russell Brown in the 33rd minute and Dylan Mafong just over three minutes later. Boston College carried a 3-0 advantage into halftime.
Merrimack continued to battle after the break, but Boston College added another goal in the 71st minute when Jack Burkhardt found the back of the net. The Eagles held on for a 4-0 victory, handing the Warriors a loss in their opening match.
Warriors Respond With Two-Goal First Half – Merrimack returned to action three days later, traveling to Worcester to take on Holy Cross at Linda Johnson Smith Stadium.
The Warriors responded with a strong opening half, scoring twice to take a 2-0 lead into the break.
Keller Cassidy opened the scoring in the 11th minute, with Salvatore Zani and Nicolo Vallocchia recording assists on the play.
Merrimack added to its advantage in the 36th minute when Jonathan Kratz found the back of the net. Zani picked up his second assist of the afternoon as the Warriors entered halftime with a two-goal cushion.
Holy Cross Battles Back – Holy Cross came out with a response in the second half, cutting Merrimack’s lead in half in the 57th minute. Archie Hatcher scored for the Crusaders, with Jude Jakes-McKay providing the assist.
The Crusaders continued to apply pressure and eventually found the equalizer in the 70th minute. Jack Fiedler scored off assists from Liam Heneghan and Jakes-McKay, bringing the match level at 2-2.
Neither side could find a go-ahead goal during the remainder of the contest, sending the game to a 2-2 draw.
The result gave Merrimack its first point of the season and moved the Warriors to 0-1-1 after two games.
Looking Ahead to Stonehill – Merrimack will now look to build on its performance against Holy Cross when it returns to the road for its next contest against Stonehill.
With the season still in its early stages, the Warriors will have an opportunity to continue developing and turn their opening-weekend experience into momentum as the 2026 campaign moves forward.
