Box Score NORTH ANDOVER, MA - Anthony Smalls (Dorchester, MA) rushed for 188 yards as the Merrimack football team picked up its first win of the season Saturday, defeating Husson University 23-0 at a rainy Warrior Field.
The Warriors reached the end zone quickly, as James Suozzo (Everett, MA) connected with Chris Laham (Westwood, MA) on the third play of their first drive from 56-yards out for a touchdown. The touchdown was Laham's third of the season and 28th of his career, tying Calvin Bryant for the school record for career touchdowns.
Moments later, Suozzo scampered in from two yards out, completing a six-play, 80-yard drive that took just 1:50 and gave the hosts the early 14-0 lead. It was Suozzo's fourth rushing touchdown in the last three quarters.
After Pedrom Tand (Northboro, MA) hit his first field goal of the season from 31-yards, Suozzo found Devin Gordon (Baltimore, MD) from 44-yards out for his second passing touchdown of the first half, giving the Warriors the 23-0 lead heading into the locker room.
They cruised from there, allowing just 218 total yards from the Eagles while forcing three turnovers in the victory.
"We had a strong first half on defense," said head coach John Perry. "Give Husson credit. They played tough, especially in the second half. Turnovers were key, as that was something we discovered last week. We stressed to our guys to play a complete, 60-minute game because we didn't last week, and that's what cost us."
Jason Fischer (South Hereford, MD) anchored the Warrior defense, grabbing the first two interceptions of his career in the second half. Shawn Loiseau (Shrewsbury, MA) posted a team-high nine tackles, as the Warriors recorded their first shutout since October 27, 2007, when they blanked Pace 31-0. The defense totaled six tackles for a loss, led by 2.5 from Tony Johnson (Lynn, MA) who was second on the team with eight tackles and added a sack.
Smalls ran right through the Eagles' defense in the first half, racking up 154 yards on 15 carries. Suozzo threw for 210 yards and rushed for 49 in the first 30 minutes. Laham finished with five catches for 96 yards.
Julius Williams led Husson with 40 rushing yards on 19 carries. The Eagles completed just nine passes on 18 attempts in their first game of the season.
Merrimack (1-1) concludes its three-game season-opening home stand Friday against Stonehill College at 7 p.m. in the Warriors' conference opener.
"We'll need a good mix of passing and rushing next week," said Perry. "I felt we did a good job of that today."
