The Mercer men’s lacrosse team (6-7, 2-3 Atlantic Sun Conference) will take on Jacksonville University (8-5, 4-1 ASUN) in the semifinals of the ASUN conference tournament on May 1 at 3 p.m. in Jacksonville, Fla.
The Bears faced off against the Dolphins in the regular season finale, losing 17-7, but look to get past Jacksonville and into the conference final for the first time in team history.
The team had low expectations after last season's underwhelming 2-11 record, but kicked off the season 3-0 with wins over Hampton University, Marist University and Virginia Military Institute. The Bears cooled down after their hot streak, though, going 3-7 in their final 10 games.
The Bears are led by Dillon Bush ‘27, who holds the team record for most goals in a season with 39, Will Zylstra '28, who led the team in goals in the first half of the season and Michael Frederick '26. The offense runs primarily through these three attackers. All have scored more than 20 goals this season, while no other player is in double digits for goals scored.
Zylstra and Bush are ninth and tenth in goals per game in the conference, respectively.
Mercer has limited depth beyond these three, and rank last in the conference in assists per game. The Bears' offense as a whole kicked off their season strong with a 18-point charge against Hampton in the opener but has faltered later in the season against stronger opponents. It now ranks second-to-last in the ASUN in points per game and has failed to crack double digits in their last two conference matchups.
They are also inefficient with shot selection, taking the second-most shots per game but having the least-efficient shot percentage in the conference. Their lack of real offensive depth has been key, as defenses have been able to shut out Bush, Zylstra and Frederick and put additional pressure on a young and inexperienced defense to keep them in games.
The Bears' defense has improved since last season with help from ASUN All-Freshman selection goalkeeper Jacob Neuman '29. His most impressive showing was a 13-save stat line against Marist. Second Team All-ASUN selection Thomas Venzie '27 provides depth around Neuman, and is fourth in the conference in caused turnovers.
The team's matchup against Jacksonville will provide a tough test for the Bears' young defense, as Dolphins senior Jack Taylor has been one of the most consistent veteran offensive presences in the conference this year. Taylor has scored at least three points in every one of his games. Behind Taylor, Jacksonville's offense has been strong and ranks second in the conference in points per game with just over 14.
The Bears will hope to lock down Taylor and the rest of Jacksonville's offense in their semifinal game, and will need a strong offensive performance from their three primary attackers to get to the next level of the ASUN tournament.
