Air Force Academy
Mercer
Mercer Edges by Air Force
3/24/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Box Score 
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. - A fourth period surge propelled the Mercer Bears (3-6, 1-1 SoCon) to their first-ever win against Air Force, 9-7, Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium. The loss marks the Falcons' first Southern Conference loss of the season, dropping their overall record to 3-6 with a 1-1 mark in the league. Junior attacker Trey Lervick notched his first career hat trick in the loss.
Staunch defense and sluggish play on both sides of the ball yielded Air Force a single goal in the first half, while Mercer was held scoreless. Jack Flynn fed Lervick in the opening goal with seven-seconds remaining in the second period.
Both teams came alive in the second half, scoring four goals apiece in the third period. The Bears' Pascal Coombs netted the first two goals of the half, giving Mercer the lead, 2-1, with 11:54 on the clock. Flynn and Lervick connected again for the equalizer at the 9:45 mark. Looking to capitalize on the lead, senior team captain Nick Hruby netted two-straight goals to lift the Falcons to a 4-2 lead. Jake Thornally recorded the assist on Hruby's second goal.
Mercer responded by scoring two unanswered goals of their own, one of which in a man-up situation. With 1:26 remaining in the third period and the teams knotted at four, Falcon face off man Trent Harper gained possession of the ball in stride, finding sophomore attacker Matthew Schwartz open for a shot and goal to give the Falcons a 5-4 lead going into the fourth period.
Air Force extended two a two-goal lead, 6-4, as Schwartz found Andrew Tien open for a ripper just atop the crease at the 13:12 mark. A holding foul at the face off X yielded a man-up opportunity for Mercer which Coombs capitalized on to bring the Bears within one goal. Over the next 10 minutes, Mercer opened up their offense, scoring four unanswered goals for a 9-6 lead with 3:38 remaining in regulation. The Falcons pressed the attack determined to get back in the game. Schwartz found Lervick open for his hat trick goal with 57-seconds remaining, but it was too little, too late. The clock expired with the Bears leading the Falcons, 9-7.
At the final whistle Air Force outshot Mercer, 33-29, and picked up 26 ground balls to Mercer's 22. The Falcons won 11-of-20 attempts at the face off X, led by Harper who went 10-17 (.588) on the day and picked up a team-high six ground balls. Lervick and Cameron Carter led the squad with six shots apiece. Freshman defender Vince Lombardi recorded a career-best two caused turnovers.
The Falcons have a quick turnaround as the squad travels to Ithaca, New York, to take on Cornell in non-conference action, Tuesday, Mar. 27, at 5 p.m. (ET). On Saturday, Mar. 31, Air Force returns to the conference slate against Bellarmine, in Louisville, Kentucky. Face off against Bellarmine is slated for noon (CT).
