Photos by Bob Park

Staten Island, NY – Junior midfielder Joe Lomeli (Clark, NJ / A.L. Johnson / NJIT) and freshman attackman Dominick Branda (Ringwood, NJ / Don Bosco Prep) scored two goals apiece but a late man-up goal carried Mercer to a 6-5 victory over Wagner, snapping the Seahawks' three-game winning streak this afternoon at Hameline Field.
 
Wagner, which was bidding for the first four-game winning streak in program history, falls to 4-4 on the season while Mercer improves to 3-3.
 
Junior attackman Andrew Streilein (Mt. Laurel, NJ / Mt.  Laurel, NJ) added one goal while senior midfielder Paul DeVita (Westfield, NJ / Westfield) was credited with one assist in this gritty, defensive-minded affair. The Seahawks received fine play from sophomore goalie Matt Sefcik (Towaco, NJ / Morristown Beard School) collected 15 saves in this defensive battle. Junior defender Andrew Park (Kinnelon, NJ / Kinnelon) led the Green & White in groundballs with four.
 
Mercer won 10-of-14 faceoffs, and led in shots (32-31) and groundballs (28-20).
 
A close, back and forth affair that featured four ties and four lead changes, neither team was able to secure more than a one-goal lead all afternoon. After Mercer jumped on top 1-0 late in the first period, the Seahawks received consecutive unassisted goals from Branda, at 11:35, and Lomeli 39 seconds later at 10:56, in taking their first lead of the game.
 
Branda answered a Mercer goal with another unassisted tally at the 7:15 mark to give Wagner a 3-2 lead. That's the way the score remained until Mercer's Jake Nelson found the net with one second left in the half to make it a 3-3 game at halftime.
 
After Joshua Adams gave the Bears a short-lived lead with a score at the 10:31 mark left in the third quarter, Lomeli answered 51 seconds later, with an unassisted tally with 9:40 left in the third, to again the knot the score, this time at 4-4.
 
A Matt Quinn goal pushed Mercer back into the lead, at 5-4, with 4:08 remaining in the third quarter. The Bears would take that 5-4 lead into the fourth quarter before Streilein connected off a DeVita assist with 12:12 to go in forging the game's final tie at 5-5.
 
After nearly 10 minutes of scoreless lacrosse, DeVita was whistled for a slashing penalty at the 3:39 mark. With 15 seconds remaining on the one-minute penalty, Mercer took advantage of the extra-man opportunity as Bryan Gibson scored off a Pascal Coombs assist with 2:54 left to make it 6-5, and the Bears were able to hold on for the win.

Wagner will open Northeast Conference play on Saturday, March 18 when they travel to Hobart. Faceoff between the Seahawks and the Statesmen is set for Noon.

 
 
Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics       
Men's Lacrosse:  
Wagner Gameday: