Mercer University
14-6
Michigan
15-3
Mercer Drops Game To Michigan 17-6 In NCAA Tournament
5/10/2024 7:36:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
Bears finish season 14-6
In Mercer's sixth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bears were unable to get their elite offensive attack going early as Michigan was eventually able to get its offense going and earned the win and will move on to play Notre Dame in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Neither team had a decisive advantage in the draw circle as Michigan won 13 draws to Mercer's 11. Shots were 35-20 in favor of the Wolverines.
Gabby DiVirgilio, Caroline Glus, and Kayla Soltys each had two goals in the game for the Bears. Soltys also had a game high five draw controls. Defensively, Abby Soltys had two caused turnovers and five draw controls. Kate Vanderlinde and Kayla Casey each saw time in goal. Vanderlinde made six saves in just over 44 minutes of game time and Casey made four saves in the other 16 minutes of action.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The defenses and goalies for each team were big factors in the first quarter of the game. Michigan led 1-0 more than 11 minutes into the first quarter. The Wolverines scored twice in the closing minutes to take a 3-0 lead after the opening 15 minutes.
After a goal from Michigan's Julia Schwabe made it 7-0 Wolverines, Glus scored on a bounce shot for Mercer's first goal of the game. The Wolverines added three more before halftime and led 10-7 at the break.
Trailing 13-1 in the third quarter, DiVirgilio scored her 60th goal of the season and first og the game. A few minutes later, Soltys beat her defender one-on-one and beat the Michigan goalie to make it a 13-3 game.
Soltys, Glus, and DiVirgilio each scored in the fourth quarter to account for Mercer's three goals in the quarter.
NOTES
- Mercer finished the season with 14 or more wins for the third consecutive season
- In the first game against a Big Ten opponent in program history, Mercer's six goals were more than three nationally ranked teams were able to score in their respective games this season against Michigan
- DiVirgilio scored her 60th goal of the season and Soltys her 50th - both career highs
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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