Second Half Firebird Surge Not Enough in 14-12 Loss to No. 13 Mercy

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's lacrosse team was defeated, 14-12 by No. 13 nationally-ranked Mercy College in East Coast Conference play on Saturday afternoon at Cooper Field.

The Firebirds (3-3, 1-2 ECC) out-scored their guests, 8-4 and out-shot them, 22-14 in the 2^nd half, but it was not enough to overcome a 10-4 halftime deficit, as UDC dropped its 2^nd straight game against its 2^nd consecutive nationally-ranked opponent.

Sophomore attack Zach Hart, junior midfielder LaRon Hinton and freshman attack Alan Singleton led the way offensively for UDC. Hart scored a game-high five goals, Hinton registered four goals and one assist, and Singleton dished out a game-high four assists.

Defensively, UDC freshman goalkeeper Nikolas Lund-Murray stopped eight of 22 shots faced in a complete game effort. The Firebirds as a team combined for a season-high 15 caused turnovers, including a game-high five by sophomore midfielder Tyler Mace.

Mercy, meanwhile, shook off last week's 8-4 loss to the No. 1 team in the nation, LeMoyne, as the Mavericks improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.

The Mavericks featured six different goal scorers, including attack Daniel Speicher, Nick Wilcox and Tommy McPartland with three goals apiece. Speicher tied for the game-high of five points as he added two assists as well.

Mercy goalkeeper Ryan Gibbons was sensational as he stopped 15 of 27 shots faced for a complete game victory. Gibbons is now 2^nd in the ECC with 70 saves this season.

UDC, the 9^th leading scoring offense in NCAA Division II, took nearly nine minutes to get on the board with the first of five goals by Hart. Mercy had already taken a 2-0 advantage with a Speicher goal one minute in, and a Ryan MacSpadyen goal around the seven-minute mark. After Hart's goal, the Mavericks tacked on three straight goals to extend their lead to 5-1. Hart would score again with 1:10 remaining in the period, and the Firebirds would trail 5-2 at the end of the first quarter.

Mercy got off to a quick start in the 2^nd quarter, scoring three straight goals to take a commanding, 8-2 lead. Hinton and Mace scored back-to-back goals at 10:46 and 9:33 in response for UDC, but the Mavericks scored the final two goals of the half, which included another Speicher goal with just 14 seconds remaining. Mercy led 10-4 at intermission.

Hart opened the scoring in the 3^rd quarter when he scored his 3^rd goal of the day – all three of those goals coming off of assists by Singleton. UDC went on to out-score Mercy 5-2 in the quarter and trailed only 12-9 heading into the final period.

The Mavericks took back control of the game at the start of the 4^th quarter, however, as they won the first two faceoffs and scored back-to-back goals to push their lead to 14-9. Mercy won 4-of-6 faceoffs in the final quarter, and kept UDC off the scoreboard for over 10 minutes. Hinton ended the UDC silence just past the five-minute mark, then later scored a man-up goal with 1:08 remaining. Hart scored the game's final goal with only 16 seconds remaining to make it a two-goal game, but the Mavericks won the final face-off and ran out the clock.

UDC, for the game, out-shot Mercy 40-34, including a 27-22 disparity in shots on goal, won the ground ball battle, 36-31, had three fewer turnovers (21-18), and was a perfect 17-of-17 on clear attempts. The Mavericks won 18-of-30 faceoffs and seven more goalie saves.

Next up, UDC will take on non-conference foe Post University at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, CT on Saturday, March 25^th.