Baxa’s overtime tally lifts Mercer to 9-8 win at Lafayette

EASTON, Pennsylvania (MERCER RELEASE) – For the second time in less than a week, the Mercer men’s lacrosse team dug deep and out-willed an opponent down the stretch to claim a road victory.  On Friday evening, Lafayette was the latest victim as sophomore Chris Baxa scored the game-winning tally in overtime to life the Bears to an 8-7 triumph at Fisher Stadium.

Mercer’s third straight win pushed the team to 5-3 on the season, while establishing a new program record for single-season victories.  Lafayette fell to 1-7 overall and 1-3 at home.

Baxa’s game winner came unassisted with just six seconds left in the first overtime period and gave the Bears the program’s first overtime victory.  The tally was his second score of the contest and moved his multi-goal scoring streak to three games.

The Bears were led offensively by senior Cole Branch, who scored four goals on eight total shots while grabbing three ground balls.   Zack Ward, Eoin Collins and Whit Anderson also found the net in victory.

Sophomore goalkeeper Mike Nugent made five stops in net while facing 41 total shots.  He improved to 5-3 on the season and helped Mercer hold its opponent to single-digit scoring total for the fifth time in the last six games.

Junior faceoff specialist Justin Evans won 12-of-20 faceoffs and also recorded a team-high four ground balls in the win.

Mercer continues its road trip at Wagner on Sunday with game time set for 1 p.m.