CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Mercer men's lacrosse team dropped a 14-7 decision at the hands of the No. 10 ranked University of North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday afternoon at Kenan Stadium.

UNC scored first, with Tanner Cook tallying an unassisted goal at the 11:23 mark of the opening period. Two minutes later, Mercer came back to tie the game 1-1 with the first of Scott Baird's three goals on the afternoon. The Tar Heels were up 3-1 at the conclusion of the first period.

North Carolina extended its lead to 9-1 before Mercer's Bryan Gibson nailed a goal on an assist from Pascal Coombs at the 3:13 mark of the second period. Baird followed up with another goal just a couple of minutes later to slice the advantage to 9-3. Baird had a third period goal, while Nick Rockefeller scored once and Matt Quinn scored a pair of goals in the final period for the Bears. The undefeated Tar Heels prevailed 14-7.

With the loss, Mercer falls to 1-4, while North Carolina improves to 5-0.

Despite the scoreline, the Bears were able to tally 34 shots on the day, with 21 coming on target.

Goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval tallied a season-high16 saves. The Bears forced the Tar Heels' keeper to produce 14 saves on the afternoon.

The Tar Heels won the faceoff battle, 15-9.

The Bears will continue their road swing traveling to Newark, Del., to face Delaware on Tuesday, March 6. Start time is 4 p.m. (ET). Mercer's matchup with Delaware will be the second of the Bears' five-game stretch away from home.