Men’s Lacrosse Taking On UMBC On Saturday

MACON, Ga. – Mercer is on the road this weekend as the men's lacrosse team heads to Baltimore to take on the UMBC Retrievers at 11 a.m. on Saturday.

Please note, the start time has changed. It was originally scheduled for noon but is now set for 11 a.m.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Saturday, February 25 | 11 a.m.
Teams: Mercer (1-1, 0-0 SoCon) vs. UMBC (0-3, 0-0 America East)
Location: Baltimore, Md. | UMBC Stadium
Live Stats: UMBCRetrievers.com | Video: UMBCRetrievers.tv
Tickets: UMBCRetrievers.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerLacrosse

DOMINATING THE FACEOFF X
Mercer has started the season very strong at the faceoff X, currently ranking second in the SoCon and ninth nationally with a 63.3 winning percentage. Kiel Brennan leads the SoCon with a 64.0 winning percentage, while Will Beecham is third in the league at 62.5 percent. Both are ranked in the top 15 nationally, as Brennan comes in at 11^th and Beecham is 13^th.

NELSON LEADING THE BEARS
Jake Nelson led Mercer with a career-high four goals in the win over Detroit Mercy, helping to earn him the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week award. Nelson totals six goals and two assists on the season to lead Mercer with eight points. He also ranks second in the SoCon and 22^nd nationally in goals per game (3.00) and is third in the league in points per game (4.00).

OFFENSE OUTPUT
Mercer is averaging 11.00 goals per game thus far, ranking the Bears second in the league and 33^rd nationally in scoring offense. Mercer is also second in the SoCon in both shot percentage and man-up offense. The Bears have scored on 27.8 percent of their shots and 37.5 percent of their man-up opportunities.

MAKE IT, TAKE IT
In addition to performing well offensively, Mercer is leading the nation with 13.00 caused turnovers per game. Three Bears are tied for seventh in the SoCon with 1.50 caused turnovers per game as Mercer's defense as a whole is quite stingy with the ball.

NEW FACES IN THE CAGE
Mercer has looked to two new faces in goal so far this season as freshman Bradley Hodoval and redshirt freshman Brett Quartuccio have both made starts for the Bears. Hodoval has spent a majority of the time between the pipes, having played the entirety of the Vermont game. Hodoval has a .545 save percentage and a 9.83 goals-against average and Quartuccio has recorded a .400 save percentage and a 12.00 GAA.

SERIES HISTORY
This is the second meeting between Mercer and UMBC with the Retrievers holding a 1-0 advantage in the series. UMBC won 15-6 when the teams met in Baltimore in 2014.

SCOUTING UMBC
UMBC is 0-3 on the season, having lost to No. 1 North Carolina, No. 8 Johns Hopkins and No. 16 Richmond. The Retrievers faced all three opponents on the road and are opening the home slate of their season against the Bears.

Max Maxwell leads the UMBC offense with five goals and seven points, followed by Jack Andrews with a goal and a team-leading three assists for four points. A total of 11 players have scored goals for UMBC, which is averaging 5.33 goals per game.

UMBC is second in the America East conference and 46^th nationally with a 43.5 faceoff winning percentage. Jake Brothers is the Retrievers' faceoff specialist, ranking second in the conference and 40^th nationally with a 48.1 faceoff winning percentage.

Ruston Souder has played every minute in goal thus far for UMBC. He has made 27 saves and allowed 42 goals for a .391 save percentage and a 14.00 GAA.

How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Lacrosse, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerLacrosse (Twitter), /MercerMensLAX (Facebook) and @MercerMensLacrosse (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.

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Players Mentioned

Will Beecham

Kiel Brennan

Bradley Hodoval

Jake Nelson

Brett Quartuccio

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