No. 3 Duke 16, Mercer 6
MACON, Ga. – Junior goalie Mike Nugent set a program single-game record with 22 saves on Sunday as the Mercer men's lacrosse team dropped its 2015 home opener to No. 3 Duke, 16-6.
Mercer fell to 0-2 while Duke bounced back from a Saturday loss to No. 1 Denver and moved to 3-1 overall.
Nugent played all 60 minutes in net and faced 38 shots on goal. Junior midfielder Ben LeSane netted two goals on six total shots to lead the Bears offensively.
The Bears started strong as sophomore Chris Rahill found his classmate James Tautkus open in the attacking zone, leading to a Tautkus goal and a 1-0 Mercer lead just 3:34 into the game. The Blue Devils countered with three-straight scores before a holding penalty led to a man-up goal for Mercer junior Chris Baxa that closed the first period's action.
The Blue Devils gained separation in the second period, out-scoring the Bears 6-1 during the frame to take a 9-3 lead into halftime. Mercer's lone tally of the period was an unassisted strike by LeSane.
Mercer pulled within five in the third period as LeSane and freshman Matt Quinn netted back-to-back goals to cut the margin to 10-5 with 4:12 on the clock. Duke scored the game's next three goals to reassume an eight point buffer and cruised from then on.
Senior Tim Geran became Mercer's fifth player in the scoring column with an even-strength tally at the 13:41 juncture of the fourth period.
Mercer finished with a 52-51 edge in shots. Both teams were 23-of-25 on clear attempts and 26 faceoffs were split evenly at 13 apiece.
The Bears continue non-conference play on Feb. 24, hosting Siena in a 4:30 p.m. start at Mercer University Stadium.
No. 20 Army 20, Jacksonville 4
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Jacksonville University men's lacrosse team welcomed No. 20 Army to record-setting home lacrosse crowd at D.B. Milne Field where they opened the season with a 20-4 loss on Sunday afternoon.
JU's sophomore attacker, Chase McIntyre led the team with three goals on four shots and two ground balls. Rob Moore went two assists for two points with a solo groundball. While red-shirt sophomore midfielder, Jet Harding was a warrior out on the field, garnering four ground balls, and forcing a turnover. Starting goal keeper, Bass Barfield, landed six saves over three periods.
Even though the Dolphins scored first, the Black Knights jumped ahead to an 8-1 lead after just three minutes into the second period. With Jacksonville down 8-1, McIntyre scored with an assist from Conor Igoe closing the score to 8-2. Two minutes later, Army's Connor Cook turned over the ball, and Fernando Milanes scored without being assisted. With 6:14 left in the half, Igoe took a shot at Sam Somers, but it was blocked. It was followed by a shot from McIntyre which turned to a goal thanks to an assist from Rob Moore.
Dolphins return to action on Saturday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m., where they are scheduled to face St. John's (N.Y.) at D.B. Milne Field.