Men's Lacrosse at Holy Cross for Inaugural Season Finale Saturday

WORCESTER, Mass. – Mercer University's men's lacrosse team will play the final contest of its inaugural season on Saturday (April 16), traveling to the College of Holy Cross.  Faceoff is slated for 5 p.m.

The Bears (1-11) would like nothing more than to pick up some momentum as head coach Jason Childs continues building the MU program. Mercer has improved incrementally versus a very difficult first-year schedule of games, sporting a predominantly freshman roster.

Last week, the Bears were locked in a 10-10 battle at Presbyterian after three quarters before a fourth-period rally by the Blue Hose squashed MU's hopes for the road win. A win at Holy Cross would not only be the program's first win away from Bear Field, but also the first against an NCAA Division I team (MU defeated a strong Division III team in Carthage, Wis., College at home for its only victory, thus far).

MU's Cole Branch is coming off of a huge game at Presbyterian. A native of Marietta, Georgia, Branch tallied a school-game record six goals in the loss to the Blue Hose. On the year, Branch has amassed 23 goals, which ranks 19^th in the nation overall and is the third-best when considering just freshman players from NCAA Division I teams.  He is also 11^th in total points (27) among frosh players.

John Avent is also in double-digit goal totals for the Bears with 11.

Like Mercer, Holy Cross enters the game with a record of 1-11 on the year. The Crusaders' lone win was a 9-6 Patriot League win at Lafayette on April 9.

Holy Cross is led by the tandem of James Kennedy and John Hannan with 25 and 20 points, respectively. Kennedy has 15 goals and 10 assists, while Hannan has a team-high 18 goals and two assists.