Mercer University
High Point
Bears Come Up Short in SoCon Matchup at High Point, 15-10
4/3/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Mercer University men's lacrosse team was unable to notch a Southern Conference road victory against High Point on Sunday, as the Panthers claimed a 15-10 victory over the Orange and Black.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bears trailed 4-2 after the first frame on Sunday. Mercer's Shawn Carter scored the opening goal but High Point answered with three straight scores to take a 3-1 lead. Pascal Coombs got one goal back with a score to cut the lead to 3-2 before the Panthers scored again to make it a 4-2 game through 15 minutes of action.
The Orange and Black started strong in the second quarter, as Scott Baird and Chris Rahill scored within the first five minutes to level the game at 4-4. However, High Point responded by ending the half with three unanswered goals to take a 7-4 advantage into the halftime intermission.
The two sides played an even third quarter, as each team found the back of the net three times to move the score to 10-7. Chris Baxa, Lucas Wittenberg and Baird scored the goals for the Bears in the third. The Panthers went on to outscore the Orange and Black in the final frame 5-3 to secure a 15-10 win.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Senior attacker Chris Baxa led the Bears in scoring with three goals, all coming in the second half. Baxa has scored in every game this season and has a team-best 16 goals on the year. The senior's three goals came on eight shots. Baxa also added two ground balls and a caused turnover to cap off his performance.
MERCER STAT OF THE DAY
The Orange and Black put 24 of its 30 shots on frame against High Point for a percentage of .800. 10 goals resulted from the 24 shots on goal to finish with a shooting percentage of .417.
NOTABLES
- Mercer is 1-3 against High Point in the all-time series.
- Baxa has scored a goal in every game this season and 28 straight games dating back to his sophomore season.
- Baxa has a season-high four hat tricks for the Orange and Black.
- Baird's two goals marked his fourth multi-goal performance of the season.
- Mike Nugent recorded double-digit saves for the 33rd time in his Mercer career with 11 on Sunday.
- Shawn Carter scored his sixth goal of the season. The freshman has now scored in each of the last three outings.
- Chris Rahill found the back of the net for the seventh time in 2016 and also added an assist. He has recorded multiple points in three consecutive games.
- Will Beecham won 15-of-26 faceoffs and scooped up a career-high nine ground balls.
RECORD UPDATE
Mercer drops to 3-6 on the season and 1-2 in SoCon play, while High Point is now 5-5 in 2016 with a mark of 1-2 in league play.
UP NEXT
The Bears wrap up their three-game road trip with a trek to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face Air Force in a league matchup on Saturday, April 9. The game is slated to start at 2 p.m. EST.
STAY SOCIAL
For all the latest information and up-to-the-minute updates on Mercer men's lacrosse, please follow the team on Twitter at @MercerLacrosse.
