ERIE, Pa. — The Mercyhurst men's lacrosse team secured a 15-12 victory over Hampton Saturday at Saxon Stadium. Colin Tardif led the way offensively with six goals and two assists. Tyler Moritzen stood tall in cage for the Lakers, making nine saves. James Neal was excellent at the faceoff x for the Lakers, winning 11 of his 19 faceoffs.
 
The Lakers took an early lead with Matthew Belles scoring the first goal at 12:26, assisted by Darrin Santos. Hampton quickly responded, tying the score 1-1 on a goal by James Greene at 9:10.
 
The Lakers regained the lead with a goal from Santos at 8:13, assisted by Tardif, and extended it further with a goal from Tardif at 6:00. Hampton narrowed the gap with a goal at 3:35. Mercyhurst led by one after the first 15 minutes of action, 3-2
 
Hampton seized momentum early in the second quarter with two man-up goals, at 13:52, and the second at 13:19. The Lakers responded with Belles scoring at 7:17, followed by a goal from Ryan Mahoney, assisted by Tardif, at 5:58.
 
Tardif continued the rally by scoring twice, the second time with an assist from Belles at 3:53, propelling Mercyhurst to take the lead 7-6 going into half time.
 
Tardif ignited the third quarter for the Green and Blue by scoring twice, with his second goal coming on a man-up opportunity at 8:10, assisted by Chase Petschke. Mason Blakeman added to the lead with a goal at 7:36, bringing Mercyhurst's score to 10.
 
Hampton responded, finding the net twice, narrowing the gap to 10-9. The Lakers extended their lead when Santos scored with 55 seconds left in the quarter, concluding the third with an 11-9 advantage.
 
The fourth quarter opened with Hampton winning the faceoff, but a turnover caused by Benjamin Schellinger shifted momentum to the Green and Blue. Hampton scored at 12:52, but Mercyhurst responded with a series of goals. Tardif found the net at 10:23, assisted by Keenan DeWit, followed by Robert Madden's goal at 8:34. Mahoney added another at 7:16, extending the Lakers' lead.
 
Dan Buckley, assisted by Blakeman, scored at 4:30, solidifying their advantage. Despite late goals by Hampton, the Green and Blue maintained control, ending the quarter with a 15-12 victory.