Erie, Pa. – The Mercyhurst Lakers Men's Lacrosse team dropped a tightly contested 9-8 battle against Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday afternoon at Saxon Stadium. Despite multiple lead changes and a late push, the Lakers were unable to hold off a fourth-quarter goal by Jack Royer, which sealed the win for the Royals.
How It Happened:
Mercyhurst got off to a strong start, with Colin Tardif opening the scoring at 8:46 in the first quarter off an assist from Elias Harless. Queens responded with back-to-back goals from Ethan Scaffidi and Jack Royer, taking a 2-1 lead at the 6:00 mark. The teams traded goals throughout the quarter, with Jeremi Phoenix-Lefebvre finding the back of the net to even the score 2-2 at 3:35, but Queens pulled ahead again with a goal at 2:11, followed by another with just 47 seconds left, making it 4-2 heading into the second period.
The Lakers came out firing in the second quarter, with Ryan Mahoney scoring twice in under two minutes, including a goal at 7:06 off an assist from Ethan Landymore, tying the game at 4-4. Queens regained the lead before halftime, scoring at 3:09 to take a 5-4 advantage into the break.
The third quarter saw Mercyhurst take control briefly, as Antonio Rossetti (13:50), Elias Harless (9:47), and Chase Petschke (4:52) all scored to give the Lakers a 7-5 lead. However, Queens answered with three straight goals, including the game-tying score at 3:40 and the go-ahead goal at 2:40, putting them back in front 8-7.
Mercyhurst refused to go down without a fight, as Phoenix-Lefebvre netted his second goal of the game at 14:00 in the fourth quarter to tie it once again at 8-8. However, Queens' Jack Royer completed his hat trick with the game-winner at 8:08, and the Lakers couldn't find the equalizer in the final minutes.
Notable Performances:
Team Stats:
Up Next:
Mercyhurst (0-3) will look to get their first win of the season as they travel to face St. Bonaventure on Tuesday. Faceoff is set for 4 PM.
