Erie, Pa. – Junior Michael Sciulli's goal with 1:01 remaining proved to be the knock-out punch as the fourth-ranked Mercyhurst College men's lacrosse team hung on to defeat East Coast Conference foe Dowling, 8-7, Sunday afternoon at Tullio Field.

The Golden Lions put a scare into the Lakers (6-1, 2-0 ECC) as they turned a 7-2 deficit into a one-goal game. Dowling reeled off four straight tallies over a span of 14 minutes and two seconds that bridged the third and fourth quarters. Justin Bunton and John McClure found the back of the net late in the third before Brandon Bergersen and Kyle O'Brien scored in the fourth to pull within one.

Mercyhurst began to fend off the Golden Lions attack midway through the fourth quarter. Senior Jason LaShomb stifled Dowling by making three of his 14 saves in the final seven minutes and proved vital on a successful clear that set up the Lakers in visitor territory with under four minutes to play.

After a brief timeout, the Lakers moved ahead by two when Sciulli took a feed from junior Tyler Burton and buried it past Ryan Dougherty.

Dowling made it a one-goal game again as McClure netted his third of the game with 24 seconds remaining. However, the Lakers put an end to the comeback on the ensuing face-off. Mercyhurst gained possession off a turnover at midfield and ran out the clock for its fourth straight win.

Mercyhurst built a 5-1 advantage through the first two quarters of play. Burton opened the game with a man-up score at 12:59 before Sciulli found the back of the net on an unassisted play at 8:07. Senior defenseman Matt Spahr accounted for the next two goals, scoring at 8:07 of the first and 14:30 of the second. Dowling broke up the streak at 13:19, but another from Burton pushed the advantage to four heading into halftime. Sciulli and Burton also added assists to finish the game with three points each.

Shortly after a Dowling score early in the third, sophomore Cameron McLean and senior Mike Bartlett struck paydirt at 14:00 and 11:39 to make it a 7-2 game.

Mercyhurst outshot Dowling, 45-33, but was overtaken in ground balls (29-23) and face-offs (14-18). The Lakers converted 24-for-26 in clears.

Mercyhurst returns to action on Wednesday, April 1, when the Lakers visit Seton Hill for a 7 p.m. contest.