Facing Florida in the First Round

MACON, Ga. – For the second year in a row, Mercer's NCAA Tournament will start against the Florida Gators. It is the Bears' fourth consecutive trip to the annual tournament and first as a member of the Big South Conference.

BEAR NECESSITIES
Teams: Mercer Bears (14-4, 8-1 Big South) vs. No. 7 Florida Gators (15-4, 5-0 AAC)
Date: Noon
Location: Donald R. Dizney Stadium • Gainesville, Fla.
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

SERIES HISTORY
The Gators hold a 2-0 lead in the series that dates back to just May 2021. Florida took a 23-5 win in last year's NCAA Tournament opener as well as a 19-5 win at Five Star Stadium in late March.

SCOUTING MERCER
Mercer avenged their lone Big South loss to top-seeded High Point, 16-13, to clinch their fourth-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Hailey Rhatigan, a first team All-Big South selection – leads the Bears' offense with 91 goals and 28 assists on the season. Defensively, Emma Pizzo - fellow first team All-Big South selection, paces with 26 caused turnovers and 33 ground balls recovered. Kayla Soltys – a second team all-league nod – leads Mercer in the draw circle, claiming 81 wins. In net, Iseabal Cryne has made 127 saves in over 923 minutes of action.
In the Big South championship game, Lyndsey Lewis – the tournament's Most Valuable Player – tallied five goals and helped on another in the win over High Point. Chloe Schaeffer notched a hat trick and had four assists while Shannon Urey compiled a hat trick and a pair of assists.

SCOUTING FLORIDA
The No. 7 Gators dispatched Vanderbilt, 18-7, for the American Athletic Conference's automatic bid the NCAA Tournament following an unscathed league season. Emma LoPinto – the AAC's Freshman of the Year - and Danielle Pavinelli – the AAC Attacker of the Year – have led the Gators' high-powered offense with 88 and 87 goals, respectively, heading into the first-round matchup. Emma Wightman – the AAC Defender of the Year – has forced 31 turnovers and won 33 groundballs in leading the UF defense. Liz Harrison, an attacker, paces the Gators with 82 draw control wins. The AAC Goalkeeper of the Year, Sarah Reznick, has stopped 142 shots in just over 975 minutes between the pipes.
Pavinelli led Florida with six goals and helped on another in their 18-7 win over Vanderbilt for The American championship last Saturday, Emily Heller followed with four scores and an assist. Reznick made nine stops and allowed six scores in 54:32 of action.

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

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Players Mentioned

Iseabal Cryne

Lyndsey Lewis

Emma Pizzo

Hailey Rhatigan

Chloe Schaeffer

Kayla Soltys

Shannon Urey

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