Team Stats
MER
NC
Shots
34
42
Turnovers
12
10
Caused Turnovers
5
6
Faceoffs Won
9
15
Extra-Man Opps
4
4
Ground Balls
24
28
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned

Mercer Battles Hard Against No. 10 UNC Before Falling 14-7
2/28/2018 7:38:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Mercer men's lacrosse team dropped a 14-7 decision at the hands of the No. 10 ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels Wednesday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.
How It Happened
UNC scored first, with Tanner Cook tallying an unassisted goal at the 11:23 mark of the opening period. Two minutes later, Mercer came back to tie the game 1-1 with the first of Scott Baird's three goals on the afternoon. The Tar Heels were up 3-1 at the conclusion of the first period.
Â
North Carolina extended its lead to 9-1 before Mercer's Bryan Gibson nailed a goal on an assist fromPascal Coombs at the 3:13 mark of the second period. Baird followed up with another goal just a couple of minutes later to slice the advantage to 9-3. Baird had a third period goal, while NickRockefeller scored once and Matt Quinn scored a pair of goals in the final period for the Bears. The undefeated Tar Heels prevailed 14-7.Â
With the loss, Mercer falls to 1-4, while North Carolina improves to 5-0.
Notables
» Scott Baird had a hat-trick on the day, his second of the season, scoring three goals.
» Despite the scoreline, the Bears were able to tally 34 shots on the day, with 21 coming on target.
» Goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval tallied a season-high16 saves. » The Tar Heels won the faceoff battle, 15 to 9.
» The Bears forced the Tar Heels' keeper to produce 14 saves on the afternoon.
Â
Quotables
"We will never accept a loss but we can grow from a loss. That is what happened against North Carolina today. Our team played very hard today and played the former National Champion and current No. 10 team even for 50 out of 60 minutes. We need to improve on eliminating runs by our opponent. UNC scored five goals in five minutes in the middle part of the second quarter and that was the difference. I'm proud of our team for their effort and their commitment to improving. With what we have in front of us this season and the improvement I've noticed over the recent weeks, this is going to be a great ride. SoCon play begins in 17 days and that's what matters the most. I believe in and trust the athlete on this team. We will continue to work and share exciting times ahead."
Records Update
Mercer:Â 1-4, 0-0 SoCon
North Carolina: 5-0, 0-0 ACC
Â
Next Game
The Bears will continue their road swing traveling to Newark, Del., to face Delaware on Tuesday, March 6. Start time is 4 p.m. (ET). Mercer's matchup with Delaware will be the second of the Bears' five game stretch away from home.
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.
Â
Â
How It Happened
UNC scored first, with Tanner Cook tallying an unassisted goal at the 11:23 mark of the opening period. Two minutes later, Mercer came back to tie the game 1-1 with the first of Scott Baird's three goals on the afternoon. The Tar Heels were up 3-1 at the conclusion of the first period.
Â
North Carolina extended its lead to 9-1 before Mercer's Bryan Gibson nailed a goal on an assist fromPascal Coombs at the 3:13 mark of the second period. Baird followed up with another goal just a couple of minutes later to slice the advantage to 9-3. Baird had a third period goal, while NickRockefeller scored once and Matt Quinn scored a pair of goals in the final period for the Bears. The undefeated Tar Heels prevailed 14-7.Â
With the loss, Mercer falls to 1-4, while North Carolina improves to 5-0.
Notables
» Scott Baird had a hat-trick on the day, his second of the season, scoring three goals.
» Despite the scoreline, the Bears were able to tally 34 shots on the day, with 21 coming on target.
» Goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval tallied a season-high16 saves. » The Tar Heels won the faceoff battle, 15 to 9.
» The Bears forced the Tar Heels' keeper to produce 14 saves on the afternoon.
Â
Quotables
"We will never accept a loss but we can grow from a loss. That is what happened against North Carolina today. Our team played very hard today and played the former National Champion and current No. 10 team even for 50 out of 60 minutes. We need to improve on eliminating runs by our opponent. UNC scored five goals in five minutes in the middle part of the second quarter and that was the difference. I'm proud of our team for their effort and their commitment to improving. With what we have in front of us this season and the improvement I've noticed over the recent weeks, this is going to be a great ride. SoCon play begins in 17 days and that's what matters the most. I believe in and trust the athlete on this team. We will continue to work and share exciting times ahead."
Records Update
Mercer:Â 1-4, 0-0 SoCon
North Carolina: 5-0, 0-0 ACC
Â
Next Game
The Bears will continue their road swing traveling to Newark, Del., to face Delaware on Tuesday, March 6. Start time is 4 p.m. (ET). Mercer's matchup with Delaware will be the second of the Bears' five game stretch away from home.
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.
Â
Â
Mercer Men's Basketball 2026 | vs. Wofford | Full Game Highlights
Saturday, January 10
Mercer Men's Basketball 2026 | vs. The Citadel | Full Game Highlights
Thursday, January 08
Joel Taylor Intro
Wednesday, January 07
Mercer Women's Basketball 2026 | vs. Auburn Montgomery | Full Game Highlights
Saturday, January 03





















































