Foxborough is 57.8 miles from North Andover, according to Google Maps. But for the Merrimack men's lacrosse team, the journey back to New England went through central New York and Long Island.

The third-seeded Warriors, after defeating its nemesis Le Moyne last weekend in Syracuse, scored 11 straight goals en route to a convincing 17-9 win at top-seeded Adelphi in an NCAA Division II semifinal Saturday. Merrimack will play either Tampa or Limestone, who meet in the other semifinal Sunday, in the championship game May 28 at Gillette Stadium.

Charlie Bertrand and Tim Towler scored four goals apiece to lead the Warriors (15-3) to their first-ever NCAA final.

Max Allen's unassisted goal with 16 seconds left in the second quarter punctuated the 11-goal run that put Merrimack ahead 11-1 at halftime.

The Panthers (15-4) applied full-field pressure in the third quarter, during which the teams combined for 15 turnovers. In desperation mode, they pulled to within 15-9 with 5:11 remaining in regulation before Kyle Stenberg and Towler applied the finishing touches for the Warriors.

Bertrand added two assists for a game-high six points. Merrimack, making its fourth NCAA tournament appearance, now will vie for its first national title. The school has only won two NCAA championships in any sport, in men's ice hockey in 1978 and softball in 1994.

"The job's not done. We want to win a championship," Warriors coach Mike Morgan said afterward in video interview posted on the Merrimack athletics website. "By no way, shape or form are we going to leave here today feeling like going there is enough. This hasn't sunk in yet. It's a great group of guys. We knew how special they were as the year went on."