Mercer Opens Weekend Play at NJIT

MACON, Ga. – The Bears are on the road for a couple of games, starting at NJIT on Friday evening at 7 p.m. This will be the first-ever meeting between the Bears and the Highlanders.

THE BEAR NECESSITIES
Date: Friday, March 10 | 7 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (1-3, 0-0 SoCon) vs. NJIT (0-5)
Location: Madison, N.J. | Ranger Stadium
Game Notes: Mercer
Live Stats: NJITHighlanders.com | Video: NJITHighlanders.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerLacrosse

DOMINATING THE FACEOFF X
Mercer has started the season very strong at the faceoff X, currently leading the SoCon and ranking 15th nationally with a 56.5 winning percentage. Kiel Brennan is second in the league with a 56.9 winning percentage, while Will Beecham is third at 56.1 percent. Both are ranked in the top 25 nationally, as Brennan comes in at 24th and Beecham is 25th.

OFFENSE OUTPUT
Mercer is averaging 8.00 goals per game thus far, ranking the Bears sixth in the league and 58th nationally in scoring offense. Mercer is also sixth in the league with 12.25 points per game, while averaging 4.25 assists per game.

MAKE IT, TAKE IT
In addition to performing well offensively, Mercer is leading the SoCon and ranks third nationally with 10.50 caused turnovers per game. Walker Ensor leads Mercer with seven caused turnovers this far. He also ranks fourth in the league with 1.75 per game.

ALL CLEAR
Mercer is 64-of-75 on clears so far this season, notching an 85.3 clear percentage. The Bears rank seventh in the SoCon and 44th nationally.

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 and Michigan games. Hodoval has a .460 save percentage and an 11.09 goals-against average and Quartuccio has recorded a .409 save percentage and a 13.54 GAA.

SCOUTING NJIT
NJIT is in its third season of competition and has notched an 0-5 mark so far this season. The Highlanders have faced another SoCon team already, falling 9-8 to VMI in February.

Ryan Callaghan leads NJIT with 10 points off six goals and four assists. Ryan Darrow is tied with a team-leading four assists and has added five goals to total nine points. Aaron Forster has scored a team-high seven goals and added an assist for eight points.

John Tachon spends most of the time at the faceoff X for the Highlanders, winning 15 of 57 attempts for a 26.3 percentage. He also had a team-leading 27 ground balls and is tied for the team lead with five caused turnovers.

Nick Marzullo has played the most time between the pipes for NJIT. He has made 45 saves and allowed 58 goals for a .437 save percentage and 16.49 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

Walker Ensor

Bradley Hodoval

Brett Quartuccio

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