Mercer Men’s Lacrosse Hosts Boston University in Season Opener

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – The Mercer men’s lacrosse 2014 season officially gets underway on Saturday as the Bears play host to Boston University at Mercer University Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Mercer (0-0) enters its second season under direction of head coach Kyle Hannan, who led the program to its most successful season in his first year with the squad. Expectations are high for the Bears in 2014 as Hannan returns all 10 starters from last year’s team that set a program record with four wins.

Mercer’s fourth season of lacrosse after starting the program in 2011 will be a benchmark one, as the Orange and Black move from the ranks of the independents to membership in the newly formed Atlantic Sun Conference. The Bears will battle with five other teams (Richmond, VMI, High Point, Jacksonville and Furman) for the league’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

The Bears were picked third among A-Sun teams in a preseason poll of league coaches, while senior Cole Branch, junior Justin Evans and sophomore Chris Baxa all picked up Preseason All-Conference honors.

Saturday’s opener is one of five home contests for the team this season, as the bulk of the 14-game regular season schedule will be played on the road. Following the clash with Boston University, the Bears hit the road for games at Michigan (Feb. 14) and at Detroit-Mercy (Feb. 16) before returning home for their conference opener against Richmond on Feb. 22.

SCOUTING BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Saturday’s game marks the first Division I contest for Boston University, which announced it would add men’s lacrosse as a varsity program on Feb. 12, 2012. The Terriers feature a 41-man roster comprised of 29 true freshmen, two redshirt freshmen, five sophomores, two juniors and three seniors.

Ryan Polley leads the Terriers in their first year of competition after spending the previous nine years as an assistant coach at Yale and a head coach at Division II Merrimack College. Polley was introduced by BU Assistant Vice President and Director of Athletics Mike Lynch on June 21, 2012.

Boston was picked to finish ninth of nine teams in the Preseason Patriot League Poll. The Terriers will play five non-conference games before opening Patriot League play on March 8 against Colgate.