MACON, Ga. – The No. 3 seed Mercer Bears claimed their third straight Southern Conference Women’s Lacrosse Championship title on Saturday afternoon at Five Star Stadium with a 14-13 win over the top-seeded Furman Paladins. This was the two teams’ third time playing in the championship match. Iseabal Cryne tallied nine saves with a .429 save percentage and was named the 2021 SoCon Women’s Lacrosse Championship Most Outstanding Player. 

Furman was the first to find the back the net just one minute into the game off a goal by midfielder Hannah Dintino, an All-Southern Conference first-team selection. Mercer responded about 20 seconds later with a free-position goal from Hailey Rhatigan, which marked her 40^th goal of the season. 

Megan Beal, the 2021 SoCon Freshman of the Year, placed the Paladins back on top off an assist from Dintino after a successful clear to the other side of the field for her first goal of the game. Sophie Shaw, a freshman from Granville, Ohio, then scored back-to-back goals at the 24:29 and 23:07 minute marks. Just a few minutes later, Furman’s Kyra LaMotte scored to put the Paladins up 5-1. Shaw found the back of the net again for a hat trick at the 21:42 mark. 

The first save of the game came from Furman’s Megan Deehan as midfielder Lily Morin fired a shot. With 20:24 left in the first half, Morin eventually found the back of the net for her 34^th goal of the year. Eight scoreless minutes later, Rhatigan netted her second goal of the game off an assist from Eva Thorn as the Bears began to cut into the Paladins’ lead.

The Bears continued to score for a 4-0 scoring run with two additional goals from Chloe Schaeffer and Thorn to make it a one-goal game. Furman’s Hannah Demis, the offensive player of the year, ended the Bears’ scoring run as she scored her first goal of the game. 

With 49 seconds left in the half, Mercer goalie Cryne made a crucial save on a free-position attempt from Dintino, which was her first save of the game. With just two seconds left until the teams would go to the locker room, she tallied another save for the Bears’ defensive efforts. The Paladins held a 9-8 lead throughout the first 30 minutes of action. 

Mercer came out strong at the start of the second half and scored the first two goals to take a 10-9 lead, which was the Bears’ first time on top. Furman answered with goals from Beal and Shaw, which were separated by just 58 seconds, and reclaimed its lead, 11-10. The game would then go scoreless as the teams continued the back-and-forth play for the next six minutes.

A foul by Furman’s Dintino set up Rhatigan’s game-high fifth goal on a free position shot and tied the game for the third time at 11 goals. 

Mercer eventually took the lead with a goal from Morin as she became the third player to record a hat trick. Shannon Urey went on to score back-to-back goals to lock in the Bears’ 14 goals, which would eventually win the team its third championship title. 

In an effort to come back for the win, Furman’s LaMotte found the back of the net for the second time with 33 seconds left on the clock. The two teams returned to midfield as the Paladins and Bears met for what would be the last draw control of the game. Mercer’s Morin won her third draw of the game to deny Furman a chance to score the tying goal, preserving the 14-13 victory. 

Furman’s Shaw and Demis led the Paladins’ scoring efforts with four points each. Beal tallied three goals, LaMotte and Demis each scored two, while Dintino and Sydney Catts had one. 

Rhatigan, an All-SoCon first-team selection, had a game-high five points on five goals, while Morin found the back of the net three times. Morin, Thorn, Chloe Schaeffer and Urey had three points each. 

Mercer’s Natalie Sannes earned the Pinnacle Award, which is given to the player with the highest grade point average from the championship-winning team. Sannes, a senior from Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a psychology major with a 3.97 grade point average.  

Mercer earned the conference’s automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The selection show takes place on Sunday, May 9, at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.

SoCon Women’s Lacrosse Championship All-Tournament Team
Megan Bozzi, Coastal Carolina
Emily D’Orsaneo, Coastal Carolina
Kaylee Coleman, Furman 
Hannah Demis, Furman
Sophie Shaw, Furman  
Iseabal Cryne, Mercer  
Hannah Lind, Mercer
Lily Morin, Mercer
Emma Pizzo, Mercer
Hailey Rhatigan, Mercer 
Ally Furnari, Wofford
Elisabeth Ralph, Wofford

SoCon Women’s Lacrosse Championship Most Outstanding Player
Iseabal Cryne, Mercer  

SoCon Women’s Lacrosse Championship Pinnacle Award Winner
Natalie Sannes, Mercer

2021 SoCon Women’s Lacrosse Championship
Semifinals, Thursday, May 6
Macon, Georgia 
Game 1: No. 1 Furman 21, No. 4 Wofford 4
Game 2: No. 3 Mercer 13, No. 2 Coastal Carolina 11 
 
Championship, Saturday, May 8
Macon, Georgia
Game 3: No. 3 Mercer 14, No. 1 Furman 13