Saturday, April 17
High Point, N.C.
12 p.m.
Mercer University
4-6 (1-2SoCon)
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High Point
4-5 (3-1SoCon)
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Mercer
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High Point
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Photo by: Drew Robertson
Cold Fourth Quarter Hurts Bears in 16-10 Loss
4/17/2021 3:35:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Sean Goldsmith scored four goals for Mercer.
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Mercer Bears were unable to extend their winning streak as they suffered a 16-10 loss to the High Point Panthers in Vert Stadium on Saturday.
High Point (4-5, 3-1 SoCon) scored two goals in the first 3:25, but Sean Goldsmith put Mercer on the board just after six minutes had elapsed, scoring off an assist from Will McCarthy. The Panthers pushed their lead back to two goals thanks to Dalton Sulver, but back-to-back goals by the Bears – one by Taylor Dooley and the last one from Daniel Shumake on a man-up opportunity with 4:26 remaining in the quarter – tied the game at three. High Point used a late goal to take a 4-3 lead after 15 minutes, but Colin Kelley played a huge part in keeping the Bears in the game with five stops in the opening quarter.
Goldsmith once again started the scoring for the Orange & Black in the second quarter, finding the back of the net off another pass from McCarthy to pull the Bears within a goal, 5-4. Three minutes later, with 9:11 left in the period, Kyle Cox tied the Southern Conference match at five with an unassisted goal. High Point's first score of the quarter did not come until the 5:24 mark when Sulver found Kevin Rogers who placed the ball in the back of the net. Dooley answered Rogers in less than 30 seconds, but the Panthers scored the last goal of the quarter to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room.
Mercer (4-6, 1-2 SoCon) battled back in the third quarter after High Point scored twice in 3:06 to extend its lead to 9-6. To the surprise of nobody in Vert Stadium, Goldsmith scored the Orange & Black's first goal of the third period off an assist from Dooley with 10:48 to play. Less than 90 seconds later, the Bears were back within a goal when Shumake scored for the second time in the contest. Shumake's conversion made it a 9-8 contest in favor of High Point, and the two teams traded goals to end the quarter with the Panthers holding a 10-9 advantage after 30 minutes.
Mercer's offense went cold in the final quarter as it scored just one goal, courtesy of Goldsmith, who found the back of the net after the Panthers scored twice in the first 42 seconds of the period. Goldsmith's conversion was the Bears' 10th goal of the afternoon, but four unanswered goals by the home squad handed Mercer a 16-10 defeat.
Goldsmith and Dooley combined for seven of the Bears' ten goals. Kelley had an impressive performance between the pipes, stopping 12 shots. Mercer was outshot by High Point, 48-34 and 28-23 in shots on goal. Sulver and Rogers each scored four goals for High Point.
NOTABLES
Mercer will return to Five Star Stadium next Saturday when it hosts VMI at 11 a.m. as part of a doubleheader. Following the men's game, the Mercer women will battle Kennesaw State at 2 p.m.
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
High Point (4-5, 3-1 SoCon) scored two goals in the first 3:25, but Sean Goldsmith put Mercer on the board just after six minutes had elapsed, scoring off an assist from Will McCarthy. The Panthers pushed their lead back to two goals thanks to Dalton Sulver, but back-to-back goals by the Bears – one by Taylor Dooley and the last one from Daniel Shumake on a man-up opportunity with 4:26 remaining in the quarter – tied the game at three. High Point used a late goal to take a 4-3 lead after 15 minutes, but Colin Kelley played a huge part in keeping the Bears in the game with five stops in the opening quarter.
Goldsmith once again started the scoring for the Orange & Black in the second quarter, finding the back of the net off another pass from McCarthy to pull the Bears within a goal, 5-4. Three minutes later, with 9:11 left in the period, Kyle Cox tied the Southern Conference match at five with an unassisted goal. High Point's first score of the quarter did not come until the 5:24 mark when Sulver found Kevin Rogers who placed the ball in the back of the net. Dooley answered Rogers in less than 30 seconds, but the Panthers scored the last goal of the quarter to take a 7-6 lead into the locker room.
Mercer (4-6, 1-2 SoCon) battled back in the third quarter after High Point scored twice in 3:06 to extend its lead to 9-6. To the surprise of nobody in Vert Stadium, Goldsmith scored the Orange & Black's first goal of the third period off an assist from Dooley with 10:48 to play. Less than 90 seconds later, the Bears were back within a goal when Shumake scored for the second time in the contest. Shumake's conversion made it a 9-8 contest in favor of High Point, and the two teams traded goals to end the quarter with the Panthers holding a 10-9 advantage after 30 minutes.
Mercer's offense went cold in the final quarter as it scored just one goal, courtesy of Goldsmith, who found the back of the net after the Panthers scored twice in the first 42 seconds of the period. Goldsmith's conversion was the Bears' 10th goal of the afternoon, but four unanswered goals by the home squad handed Mercer a 16-10 defeat.
Goldsmith and Dooley combined for seven of the Bears' ten goals. Kelley had an impressive performance between the pipes, stopping 12 shots. Mercer was outshot by High Point, 48-34 and 28-23 in shots on goal. Sulver and Rogers each scored four goals for High Point.
NOTABLES
- Goldsmith has had four consecutive multi-goal games.
- His four goals are his second highest total in a game this season. He scored six times in a March win over Utah.
- Dooley recorded a hat trick and has scored seven goals Mercer's past two contest.
- Dooley became the fifth Bear to reach double-digit goals. The freshman midfielder has scored 12 times.
- McCarthy, Mercer's leading goal scorer, was held scoreless, but led the team with two assists.
- Kelley made 12 saves to extend his streak of games with 10 or more saves to eight.
- Kelley is 10 saves away from having the eighth most saves in one season.
- Ashton Wood won his 150th face-off of the season.
- Wood is 10 groundballs away from 100 for the 2021 season.
Mercer will return to Five Star Stadium next Saturday when it hosts VMI at 11 a.m. as part of a doubleheader. Following the men's game, the Mercer women will battle Kennesaw State at 2 p.m.
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
Team Stats
MER
HPU
Shots
34
48
Turnovers
19
15
Caused Turnovers
6
10
Faceoffs Won
15
15
Extra-Man Opps
1
4
Ground Balls
27
27
Game Leaders
Players
G
4
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
1-30
GB
1
CT
0
G
2
A
0
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
Players Mentioned
M
/ Men's LacrosseA
/ Men's Lacrosse
GK
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's LacrosseM
/ Men's Lacrosse
FO
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