ERIE, Pa. — The Mercyhurst men's lacrosse team fell to the University of Detroit Mercy 11–6 on Saturday at Saxon Stadium. Despite a strong third quarter where the Lakers scored three goals, Detroit Mercy's second-quarter surge proved decisive.
The Lakers began the first quarter with an aggressive approach, controlling the initial faceoff and maintaining offensive pressure. Despite several saved attempts by Detroit Mercy's goalie, Cooper St. Clair,
Ryan Mahoney broke through with a goal at 5:36, marking his 13th of the season and giving the Lakers an early lead. Detroit Mercy responded with a goal from Tyler Francis-Renner at 1:49, assisted by Caden Loken, leveling the score. The quarter ended tied at 1–1.
The Lakers struggled to maintain momentum in the second quarter as Detroit Mercy capitalized on a series of successful faceoffs and scoring opportunities. The Titans initiated a scoring surge beginning with a goal by Tommy Thompson at 8:45, which opened the floodgates for a sequence of goals. Despite defensive efforts by
Tyler Moritzen, who made key saves and caused a turnover, the Green and Blue were unable to convert their own opportunities into goals. The quarter concluded with Detroit Mercy leading 7–1.
The Lakers mounted a determined response in the third quarter, starting with
Robert Madden's goal at 12:14, assisted by
Dan Buckley. This was swiftly followed by a man-up goal from
Darrin Santos, with
Cole Rembielak providing the assist, narrowing Detroit Mercy's lead. Rembielak continued the momentum with another goal at 4:31, assisted by Mahoney, keeping the Green and Blue competitive. Despite the Titan's late goal by Gavin Moore, the quarter concluded with both teams netting three goals each, but the game ended with Detroit Mercy ahead 10–4.
The Lakers initiated a strong offensive push in the fourth quarter with
Brenton Paladino scoring at 12:54, assisted by Santos. Despite a subsequent turnover, the Lakers maintained momentum, culminating in a goal by
Liam Manion at 5:47, assisted by Rembielak. Detroit Mercy responded with a goal by Luke Zajdel, but the Lakers' defense, including a crucial caused turnover by
Drew Pagano, helped contain further scoring. The quarter ended with the Green and Blue trailing Detroit Mercy 11–6, concluding the game.
Santos led the offensive effort with one goal and one assist while taking 11 shots, including six on goal. Mahoney added to the attack by scoring once and assisting on another goal, with five of his ten shots on target. Rembielak contributed significantly with one goal and two assists, converting one of his two shots into a score.
Brenton Paladino also found the net, scoring once on two attempts, providing additional support in the team's scoring.
Mercyhurst has a record of 2–12. Detroit Mercy has a record of 3–9.
The Lakers will finish their season at Le Moyne next weekend.
