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The Mercer Bears are the 70th team in our 2020 men’s college lacrosse schedule preview series and the seventh team from the SoCon. Mercer finished 1-12 overall in 2019 and 1-6 in SoCon play. The Bears failed to qualify for the SoCon Tournament.
Here’s their entire 2020 schedule:
Mercer’s 2020 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes |
| 2/1 | Florida Tech (D2) | Mercer | First ever meeting |
| 2/8 | Mercer | North Carolina | |
| 2/22 | Hampton | Mercer | First ever meeting |
| 2/29 | Wagner | Mercer | First meeting since 2017 |
| 3/4 | St. Bonaventure | Mercer | First ever meeting |
| 3/7 | Mercer | Monmouth | First ever meeting |
| 3/9 | Mercer | Cleveland State | In Towson, MD |
| 3/14 | Mercer | Jacksonville | SoCon |
| 3/21 | Furman | Mercer | SoCon |
| 3/28 | Mercer | Air Force | SoCon |
| 4/4 | Richmond | Mercer | SoCon |
| 4/11 | Mercer | High Point | SoCon |
| 4/18 | VMI | Mercer | SoCon |
| 4/25 | Mercer | Bellarmine | SoCon |
Who’s In?
- Florida Tech Panthers (D2) (2/1)
- Hampton Pirates (2/22)
- Wagner Seahawks (2/29)
- St. Bonaventure Bonnies (3/4)
- Monmouth Hawks (3/7)
Who’s Out?
- Utah Utes (13-9 L)
- Canisius Golden Griffins (13-10 L)
- Delaware Blue Hens (10-9 L)
- Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers (9-8 L)
Mercer’s Opponents 2019 Average Win Percentage & RPI
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg. overall win pct. | Avg. nonconference win pct. | Avg. conference win pct. | Avg. overall RPI | Avg. nonconference RPI | Avg. conference RPI |
| .426 | .381 | .470 | 48 | 55.67 | 41.43 |
Circle These Dates
- 2/29 vs. Wagner: These two teams haven’t met since 2017, but history is on Mercer’s side. In all four prior meetings, the Bears have won every single game, including two decided by a goal. Mercer will look to stay perfect against the Seahawks with players such as Sean Goldsmith, Michael Quinn, and FOGO Ashton Wood back in 2020.
- 3/4 vs. St. Bonaventure: This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams as the Bonnies just began play last season. St. Bonaventure is looking to secure their first ever program victory after going winless in 2019. A one-win team a year ago in Mercer could be it, but the Bears will look to avoid becoming part of Bonnies’ history.
- 3/21 vs. Furman: Five of the six all-time meetings against the Paladins have been decided by one goal. The other time was decided by two goals. Mercer came up short in last year’s meeting in South Carolina despite scoring 11 goals in the second half after giving up nine in the first half. Paladins goalie Alec Van de Bovenkamp recorded 21 saves in the Furman win.
- 4/18 vs. VMI: Mercer’s lone win in 2019 came against the Keydets, who are typically at the bottom of the SoCon standings. They doubled up VMI last year to extend their winning streak to seven games. VMI hasn’t won a conference game since 2014.
- 4/25 at Bellarmine: After taking a 7-4 lead in the second quarter, the Bears gave up two four-goal runs and a three-goal run to the Knights and lost by three goals. Ian Miller recorded seven points (2 Gs, 5 As) for Bellarmine in their win. Mercer’s lost the last four times to Bellarmine, but the Knights are enter 2020 with their third permanent head coach in as many seasons in Andrew Whitley. If the Bears can turn their results against Furman and Bellarmine into wins, perhaps Mercer could have a chance to sneak into the SoCon Tournament.