Mercer Upsets Coastal to Head to Third Championship

Thursday, May 6

Macon, Ga.

6:40 P.M.

Mercer University

6-7, 2-2

Coastal Carolina

10-7, 2-1SoCon

Mercer

COASTAL

Photo by: Todd Drexler/SESPORTSMEDIA.com

Mercer Upsets Coastal to Head to Third Championship

5/6/2021 10:48:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score

Hailey Rhatigan led with 10 points

By: Jesika Moore

MACON, Ga. – Hailey Rhatigan led the Bears with 10 points, six goals and four points, in Mercer's 13-11 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday night.

It only took Hailey Rhatigan 2:17 to find the back of the net in the first half of the semifinals off an 8-meter shot. Three minutes later, Rhatigan would help graduate Lily Morin to give the Bears an early 2-0. Coastal Carolina would get one past Iseabal Cryne to make it a one goal game. A Chanticleers turnover at midfield would make Shannon Urey wide open to give the Black and Orange their two-goal lead again. After being fouled, Chloe Schaeffer would go to the line and get it past the Coastal goalie to give the Bears a 4-1 lead. At the 16:34 mark, Hailey Rhatigan would find the back of the net again to make it a four-goal game in favor of the Bears. The Bears and the Chanticleers would trade free-positions goals keep it a four-goal game. The Bears goal would come from Eva Thorn. At the 7:39 mark, Thorn would find the back of the net again to make it a 7-3 game. The Chanticleers would score three to cut the Bears lead to one at the half.

To keep the flow going, Hailey Rhatigan found the back of the net in similar fashion to her first goal of the game. Coastal kept the game close, scoring 1:39 after the Bears. Morin would give the Bears their two-goal led weaving through the Chanticleers defense. Neither team would score for five minutes, until Erin Degnan would get one past Coastal Carolina. Rhatigan's fourth goal came less than three minutes later unassisted to give Mercer a four-goal lead. Coastal cut the lead to three but Rhatigan came to play! Her fifth goal at the 9:42 mark after sliding under Coastal's defenders and sliding the ball past the goalie. Hailey did not slow down. Her sixth goal, and the Bears last goal, came with an assist from freshman Maddi Koury. Mercer would head to their third consecutive tournament championship with a 13-11 win.

NOTABLES

This is the third consecutive year that the Bears and Paladins have gone head-to-head in the Southern Conference Championship game.
Junior Hailey Rhatigan led the Bears with a season high 10 points on six goals and four assists.
Kayla Soltys led the team with two caused turnovers and three draw controls.
Iseabal Cryne saw all 60 minutes between the pipes. She stopped 12 shots and led the team with four groundballs.

Follow The Bears
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