NASHUA, N.H. – Graduate student Coby Mercier reached multiple career milestones, recording both his 100th career goal and 100th career assist to surpass the 200-point mark, as the Rivier men's lacrosse team powered to a 15-5 victory over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opponent JWU (Providence) on Saturday morning at Joanne Merrill Field.
With the win, the Raiders improved to 6-1 (2-0 GNAC), while the Wildcats fell to 4-5 (1-2 GNAC).
JWU struck first, opening the scoring at the 10:37 mark of the first quarter. Rivier responded swiftly, as senior Chris Heitmiller netted the equalizer. The Wildcats reclaimed the lead at 2-1 with 5:11 remaining in the quarter, but the Raiders answered back with consecutive goals from Heitmiller and senior Michael Zapatka, both assisted by graduate student Michael Ference to give Rivier a 3-2 advantage heading into the second quarter.
The Raiders extended their lead early in the second as Ference converted a man-up opportunity before Heitmiller struck again just 32 seconds later, securing his hat trick, and making it 5-2. First-year James DelPrete added his third goal of the season, and Zapatka found the net for the second time to push Rivier's lead to 7-2. Junior Sean Callinan joined the scoresheet with a late goal to send the Raiders into halftime with an 8-2 cushion.
JWU came out strong in the third quarter, scoring twice in a span of 1:08 to cut the deficit to 8-4. Rivier quickly regained control as graduate student Connor Eck rifled a shot past the Wildcat defense before Mercier scored his 100th career goal on a man-up opportunity to restore the six-goal advantage. Moments later, Mercier made history again, assisting on a goal by Eck to record his 100th career assist and reach the 200-point milestone to give Rivier an 11-4 lead heading into the final quarter.
The Raiders put the game out of reach in the fourth as they netted three quick goals from Mercier, Callinan, and Heitmiller. First-year Aiden Conley capped off the scoring to seal the 15-5 victory for Rivier.
Mercier capped off his historic day with six points, tallying two goals and four assists, while Ference also posted six points with one goal and five assists. Heitmiller led all scorers with four goals and added three ground balls. Eck and Zapatka each finished with two goals and two assists. Graduate student Adam Hailey anchored the defense with three caused turnovers and a team-high five ground balls.
Junior Owen McDuffie won 9-of-11 faceoffs (81.8%) and graduate student goalkeeper Sawyer Gagnon made 11 saves in the contest, improving his record to 6-1 on the season.
The Raiders won 16-of-24 (66.7%) faceoffs and held slight advantages in shots (37-31) and caused turnovers (21-19). Additionally, Rivier converted 17-of-19 (89.4%) clears, while JWU managed 13-of-19 (68.4%).
Rivier is back in action on Wednesday, April 2, for a GNAC road matchup against Regis (Mass.). The opening faceoff at Regis Stadium is set for 5:00 p.m.
