QUICK HITS
- Mercer got ahead early and held on for a 16-13 win over CSU
- Ryan Haigh had a team-high and career-high four points
- Michael Wilson notched a pair of goals and an assist
- Cleveland State scored 13 goals on the DI's fourth-best defense
- Gideon Brockenbrough notched his first career multi-goal game
- The Vikings forced Mercer into 19 turnovers after they had averaged 13.5 on the year
GAME RECAP
The Cleveland State University lacrosse team got into an early hole and could never fully recovery as the Vikings dropped a 16-13 decision to Mercer on a gorgeous Monday afternoon at Paul Angelo Russo Stadium at Calvert Hall.
Cleveland State had advantages in a variety of statistical categories—more shots, ground balls and faceoffs won while also having fewer turnovers—but it was the Bears, who improved to 6-1, that scored at a higher clip.
Sophomore Ryan Haigh led the Viking offense with a career-high four points as he tallied his first career hat trick and also added an assist. He contributed multiple points for the sixth time in seven games this season.
Junior Michael Wilson contributed two goals and an assist as his first multi-goal game of the season helped extend his point streak to 12.
Senior Danny Tesler won 16 of 30 faceoffs against Mercer's Ashton Wood, the third-best faceoff man in Division I entering the game. Tesler, who added a season-high 10 ground balls, also won more than half the faceoffs he took for the fifth straight game.
What turned into a high-scoring affair did not start out that way. The teams were tied, 1-1, with a minute left in the opening quarter after sophomore Nick Polydoras had found the net for the Vikings.
Mercer then scored twice in the final 40 seconds of the opening quarter, the second one of which came directly off a faceoff win.
Those two quick goals in succession jumpstarted an 8-1 run for the Bears that lasted well into the second quarter.
Senior Gideon Brockenbrough stopped the bleeding for the Vikings with an unassisted strike, the first of three straight CSU goals. Wilson and senior Chase Baker added tallies to pull the Vikings within four, but Mercer posted the final goal of the first half to take a 10-5 lead into the break.
After a relatively even third quarter, Mercer had extended its lead to 15-8 as the fourth quarter unfolded.
Cleveland State continued to fight down the stretch. The Vikings scored five of the game's final six goals but still trailed by three when they ran out of time.
The Vikings posted 13 goals on Mercer, Division I's fourth-best defense entering the game as the Bears had been allowing just 8.17 per game. CSU also forced Mercer into 19 turnovers after the Bears had averaged only 13.5 entering Monday's action.
Junior Tristan Hanna produced his first multi-assist game of the season to extend his point streak to 11 games.
Seniors Gideon Brockenbrough and Nick Wendel both posted multi-goal games. Brockenbrough did so for the first time in his career while Wendel notched his second straight.
Senior Noah Gleeson tallied his third multi-assist game of the season while classmate Chase Baker added a goal and an assist. In doing so, Baker produced back-to-back multi-point games for the first time in his career.
Seniors Stephen Masi and Nate Menendez each scored once, with the latter doing so for the first time this season.
Cleveland State will look to get back in the win column as it turns right back around and travels to Hampton this Saturday, March 14.
