Saturday, February 15
Macon, Ga.
12 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
VMI
Bears Welcome VMI For Home Opener
2/14/2025 11:02:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
MACON, Ga. - The Mercer men's lacrosse team welcomes the Keydets of VMI to Five Star Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 15, at noon for the Bears' first home game of the 2025 season.
GAME DAY INFO
Date  | Time: Saturday, February 15 | 12 p.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (1-1,0-0 ASUN) vs VMIÂ (1-1, 0-0 NEC)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium
Live Stats:Â Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 12th meeting between these two squads. Mercer leads the series 8-3 following the last matchup between these two teams on April 2, 2022 when the Keydets defeated the Bears in a close 10-13 game. Mercer won eight straight games against VMI within a span of eight years (2013-2021).
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears traveled to Marist on Saturday, Feb.8, for the program's first ever matchup against the Red Foxes. It was a back and forth game during the entire first half until Marist went on a scoring run at the end of the third quarter, ultimately defeating the Bears 16-6 for Mercer's first loss of the season.
The Bears were led by sophomore Dillon Bush and freshman Will Zylstra who scored two goals, respectively. Ben Jose and Michael Frederick each added a goal of their own. On the defensive side for the Bears, Tyler Gilbert picked up five ground balls while Kobe Handsor caused two turnovers. Between the pipes senior goalkeeper Rand Paddack recorded 15 saves.
SCOUTING VMI
The Keydets are led by James Purpura who enters his fifth season at the helm for VMI. The Keydets finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 7-8 and a 3-6 record in the NEC conference. VMI opened their 2025 season against St. Bonaventure resulting in an 18-7 victory for the Keydets. Most recently on Feb. 8, they went into overtime with High Point but ultimately lost to the Panthers 11-12.
The leading goal scorer, currently, for the Keydets is sophomore Dayton Bagwell with nine goals across two games. Following closely behind is Luke Rusterucci who has 10 points with six goals and four assists on the season. On the defensive side of the field, Joseph Weinburgh 11 groundballs and goalkeeper Damian Levin has recorded 33 saves across two games.
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
GAME DAY INFO
Date  | Time: Saturday, February 15 | 12 p.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (1-1,0-0 ASUN) vs VMIÂ (1-1, 0-0 NEC)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium
Live Stats:Â Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 12th meeting between these two squads. Mercer leads the series 8-3 following the last matchup between these two teams on April 2, 2022 when the Keydets defeated the Bears in a close 10-13 game. Mercer won eight straight games against VMI within a span of eight years (2013-2021).
LAST TIME OUT
The Bears traveled to Marist on Saturday, Feb.8, for the program's first ever matchup against the Red Foxes. It was a back and forth game during the entire first half until Marist went on a scoring run at the end of the third quarter, ultimately defeating the Bears 16-6 for Mercer's first loss of the season.
The Bears were led by sophomore Dillon Bush and freshman Will Zylstra who scored two goals, respectively. Ben Jose and Michael Frederick each added a goal of their own. On the defensive side for the Bears, Tyler Gilbert picked up five ground balls while Kobe Handsor caused two turnovers. Between the pipes senior goalkeeper Rand Paddack recorded 15 saves.
SCOUTING VMI
The Keydets are led by James Purpura who enters his fifth season at the helm for VMI. The Keydets finished the 2024 season with an overall record of 7-8 and a 3-6 record in the NEC conference. VMI opened their 2025 season against St. Bonaventure resulting in an 18-7 victory for the Keydets. Most recently on Feb. 8, they went into overtime with High Point but ultimately lost to the Panthers 11-12.
The leading goal scorer, currently, for the Keydets is sophomore Dayton Bagwell with nine goals across two games. Following closely behind is Luke Rusterucci who has 10 points with six goals and four assists on the season. On the defensive side of the field, Joseph Weinburgh 11 groundballs and goalkeeper Damian Levin has recorded 33 saves across two games.
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
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Lacrosse
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/ Men's Lacrosse
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/ Men's Lacrosse
GK
/ Men's Lacrosse
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