Mercer University
Duke
Men's Lacrosse Drops Home Opener to No. 3 Duke, 16-6
2/15/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
MACON, Ga. – Junior goalie Mike Nugent set a program single-game record with 22 saves on Sunday as the Mercer men's lacrosse team dropped its 2015 home opener to No. 3 Duke, 16-6.
Mercer fell to 0-2 while Duke bounced back from a Saturday loss to No. 1 Denver and moved to 3-1 overall.
Nugent played all 60 minutes in net and faced 38 shots on goal. Junior midfielder Ben LeSane netted two goals on six total shots to lead the Bears offensively.
The Bears started strong as sophomore Chris Rahill found his classmate James Tautkus open in the attacking zone, leading to a Tautkus goal and a 1-0 Mercer lead just 3:34 into the game. The Blue Devils countered with three-straight scores before a holding penalty led to a man-up goal for Mercer junior Chris Baxa that closed the first period's action.
The Blue Devils gained separation in the second period, out-scoring the Bears 6-1 during the frame to take a 9-3 lead into halftime. Mercer's lone tally of the period was an unassisted strike by LeSane.
Mercer pulled within five in the third period as LeSane and freshman Matt Quinn netted back-to-back goals to cut the margin to 10-5 with 4:12 on the clock. Duke scored the game's next three goals to reassume an eight point buffer and cruised from then on.
Senior Tim Geran became Mercer's fifth player in the scoring column with an even-strength tally at the 13:41 juncture of the fourth period.
Mercer finished with a 52-51 edge in shots. Both teams were 23-of-25 on clear attempts and 26 faceoffs were split evenly at 13 apiece.
The Bears continue non-conference play on Feb. 24, hosting Siena in a 4:30 p.m. start at Mercer University Stadium.
