Mercer Takes on Top Ranked UNC Saturday

MACON, Ga. – For the second time this season, the Mercer men's lacrosse team will head to North Carolina to take on the top ranked team in the nation. This time, the Bears head to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face North Carolina.

Sunday's Matchup
Date | Time: Saturday, March 6 | 2 p.m.
Teams: Mercer (2-3, 0-0 SoCon) at North Carolina (5-0, 0-0 ACC)
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C. | Dorrance Field
Live Stats: Click Here
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Twitter Updates: @MercerLacrosse

Series History
Saturday's matchup between the Bears and Tar Heels will be their fifth meeting in program history. The Tar Heels lead the series 4-0. The last time these two programs met was during the 2020 season when UNC came away with a 14-6 win.

Scouting Mercer
Mercer is under the direction of first-year head coach Chad Surman and are 2-3 on the season. Mercer is coming off a 10-9 victory over Cleveland State last Sunday at Five Star Stadium. Collin Stewart leads the team with 14 points (10 goals, 4 assists) this season. Stewart as scored at least one goal in every game this season for Mercer. Senior Will McCarthy leads the team with 11 goals. McCarthy tied his career-high with four goals against Cleveland State. On the face-off x, Ashton Wood continues to shine for the Bears. He has won 70.1 percent of his face-offs this season, which is sixth best in the nation and tops the Southern Conference. Between the pipes for Mercer is sophomore Colin Kelley. He has scored each game for the Bears and has a 10.3 goals against average this season. He has tallied 48 saves.

Scouting North Carolina
Top ranked North Carolina returns to the field on Saturday to face the Bears with a perfect 5-0 record. North Carolina is coming off a 27-12 win over High Point last Saturday. North Carolina is the second best scoring team in the nation with an average of 20.0 goals per game. On the offensive end, the Tar Heels are taking 54.6 shots per game and 61.5 shots are on goal. Chris Gray leads the team with 18 goals and 12 assists on the season. He is one of seven players with 10 or more points this season. Six North Carolina players have scored 10 or more goals. William Perry and Brian Cameron are second on the team with 11 goals. Between the pipes for North Carolina is Collin Krieg. Kreig has started all five games for North Carolina and has tallied 42 saves. He is allowing 10.4 goals per game.

Notables

Ashton Wood has been outstanding in the face-off circle. The junior from Saint Augustine, Fla. is winning 70.1 percent of his face-offs. Wood leads the Southern Conference in face off winning percentage while ranking sixth in the nation. He is the only player in the top six that has taken over 100 face-offs this season.
On Tuesday, Will McCarthy was named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week. He tied his career-high with four goals in the Bears' 10-9 win over Cleveland State on Sunday. He has scored in 10 straight games.
Each week, a new Mercer player wears the No. 24 uniform in honor of Mercer signee John Michael Night. Before he could enroll at the University, Night suffered a devastating brain stem stroke leaving him in what is medically referred to as Locked-In Syndrome (LIS). This week, Will McCarthy will don the 24 jersey.
For the second time this season, the Bears find themselves matched up against the No. 1 team in the USILA poll. In early February, the Bears took on Duke in Durham when Duke was No. 1. Now Mercer faces No. 1 North Carolina. Mercer is looking for its first win over a top ranked team.
In the Bears win over Cleveland State, Will McCarthy had a career day. He scored four goals, which tied a career-high. During the contest he talied six shots with five being on goal. McCarthy now leads the team with 11 goals this season. He is five goals away from tying his career-high for goals in a single season which was set during the 2019 season.
The Bears have a trio leading them on the offensive end of the field this season. Collin Stewart leads the team with 14 points (10 goals, 4 assists), Will McCarthy has tallied 12 points (11 goals, 1 assist) and Michael Quinn has 12 points (7 goals, 5 assists).

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

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Players Mentioned

Colin Kelley

Will McCarthy

Michael Quinn

Collin Stewart

Ashton Wood

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