via JU press release   JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nine players found the back of the net for Jacksonville University men’s lacrosse as the Dolphins posted eight unanswered goals in the second quarter to open Southern Conference action with a 16-8 victory over Mercer, Saturday afternoon at D.B. Milne Field. Jacksonville improves to 3-4 on the year and 1-0 in the SoCon, while Mercer falls to 2-6 overall and 0-1 in league play. Saturday’s victory marks the first conference opener the Dolphins have won since 2015 and the first league opener won at home since 2013. “It felt great to be back out with the Raiders for a game again in Duval,” stated Head Coach John Galloway. “After taking a week off, I thought we did a poor job of executing in the beginning of the game. We aren’t always the most talented team on the field, but we take great pride in our passion of play and toughness. Those things didn’t show themselves early and Mercer took advantage. I’m so proud of our group for answering the challenge and clawing back into the game for us.” Junior Eric Applegate (3 goals, 2 assists) and freshman Gavin Dembeck (3g, 1a) combined for six of the Dolphins’ goals, while senior Hunter Forbes won 20-of-26 face offs and picked up a career-high 17 ground balls. Dembeck also picked up four ground balls. Added Galloway, “Hunter Forbes gave us the possessions we needed and Max Hartong gave us a spark off the bench. I also want to recognize Gavin Dembeck, who got his first start today and finished with four points. That is a direct result of his commitment to Duval Hour every day and the improvement of his skills when no one is around.” Freshman Jeremy Winston (2g, 1a), seniors McLean Chicquen (2g, 1a) and Chase McIntyre (1g, 2a), and junior Will Hendrick (2g, 1a) all posted three points apiece to supplement the Dolphins’ offense. Down 5-1 with time winding down in the first quarter, sophomore Dwayne Mattushik found Chicquen off the restart. Chicquen went low to low past the Mercer goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval’s feet to bring the Dolphins within three, 5-2. Riding that momentum into the second quarter, Dembeck picked up a ground ball and with three Bear defenders, finished high to low at the 10:37 mark to keep the Dolphins rolling. Jacksonville scored each minute for five straight, beginning with Hendrick’s goal off a Chicquen pass with 8:48 to go. Less than a minute later, Applegate (7:56) tied the game at 5-5, and Winston gave the Dolphins’ the lead shortly thereafter with 6:30 on the clock. Going coast to coast, past six different Mercer defenders and drawing a Bear penalty, junior Hayden La Vangie buried a shot from 10 yards out for an unassisted mark at 5:34. Despite being down a man following a Dolphin penalty with 2:46 to go before halftime, Jacksonville never relented and pressured the Bears to throw the ball away. As Applegate brought the ball down field, he dodged a defender and finished high to low for his second man-down goal of the season. For good measure, the Dolphins added an insurance tally as Applegate connected with Dembeck with 16.9 seconds before halftime double up the Bears, 10-5. Jacksonville held Mercer scoreless for over 18 and a half minutes (18:38) before the Bears were able to answer back on a Brent Bishop goal with 13:22 showing in the third quarter. The Dolphins added four more goals in the period to put the game firmly out of reach as sophomore Alec Drosos buried a dish from Dembeck (8:34) and Applegate connected with McIntyre two and a half minutes later (6:02) to give the Dolphins a 12-6 lead. Applegate and Winston added a pair of tallies in the final minute with 46 seconds and eight seconds remaining on the clock, respectively. Mercer posted back-to-back goals to open the fourth, and the Dolphins answered back as Dembeck (4:04) found his third and senior Shawn Ewert capped scoring with 2:34 to go. Mattushik (1a), Drosos (1g), La Vangie (1g), and Ewert (1g) rounded out scoring for the Dolphins. Defensively, junior goalie Hunter Sells matched his season-high with 10 saves, including four in the second quarter alone, and split time in the fourth with senior Ben Gleichenhaus. Redshirt-freshman Tommy Barnhorst (2 CT) and freshman Dixon Smith (3 CT) caused a combined five of the Bears’ 13 turnovers. Mercer was led by Pascal Coombs hat trick, while Hodoval finished with 10 saves in the effort. “We will go back to work Monday with our mission in clear focus as we prepare for a very talented Bellarmine team,” added Galloway. The Dolphins return to action next Saturday, March 24 when they play host to Bellarmine at noon.