JU Men: Dolphins Win Outright Title in Victory Over Mercer
Jacksonville, Fla. – The Jacksonville Men’s Lacrosse program (13-2, 5-0 SoCon) wrapped up the outright Southern Conference Regular Season Title on Saturday, defeating Mercer (4-10, 1-3 SoCon) 17-5 on Senior Day at Rock Stadium.
SoCon Offensive Player of the Week Jackson Intrieri led the Dolphins with a hat trick, as four other Jacksonville players recorded multiple goals. Luke Millican picked up the victory in goal for JU, stopping 10 shots in the win.
After Jacksonville jumped out to a 4-0 lead, Mercer would score their first goal of the contest with 4:52 remaining in the first. A Green and White goal by Intrieri with 21 seconds remaining in the opening quarter saw JU lead 5-1 entering the second.
The Bears scored the opening goal of the second quarter, but the Dolphins would respond with a 6-0 run to end the half, leading 11-2 entering the break.
Coming out of the half, Jacksonville would score back-to-back goals extending their lead to 11. Following a Mercer goal, the Dolphins answered finding the back of the net, leading 14-3 after the third.
In the fourth, the two programs traded goals back-and-forth, as Jacksonville would defeat the Bears, 17-5.
Head Coach John Galloway‘s Comments
“Today was another important first for our program. While we didnt execute for 60 minutes, our guys answered the challenges from the coaching staff and played hard. I am really proud of Nathan Kapp for his compete level at the Faceoff X. Our rope unit showed up despite some injuries and played tough, and it was led by our poles in Colin Hinton, Dixon Smith, Jordan Young and Jack Heed. We will watch this film critically to improve on certain areas and celebrate some special plays. We have a nice window now to get our bodies right, and continue to hunt for improvements on and off the field. I am excited for the challenges ahead.”
“I also have to make a note of our goalies. Luke Millican and Jason Yoquinto were great today, keeping a talented Mercer offense at bay the whole time. Really proud of our entire goalie bullpen.”
Game Notes
– Jacksonville leads the all-time series with Mercer, 11-2. Saturday was the seventh-straight win for the Dolphins in the matchup.
– Jacob Greiner has scored a goal in 20-straight contests. The redshirt-sophomore eclipsed the 100-point mark in the victory over Mercer.
– Max Waldbaum has now recorded a point in 47 consecutive games, dating back to March 2, 2019. The streak for the Denver, Colo. native is the 8th longest active streak at the Division I level.
– Millican’s 10 saves was the seventh occasion in his collegiate career stopping double-digit shots.
– The Dolphins improve to 20-1 under head coach John Galloway was scoring 15+ goals.
– With the win, Jacksonville secures the #1 seed heading into the 2022 SoCon Tournament.
– Saturday served as the final regular season contest for the Dolphins as a member of the Southern Conference. Both Jacksonville and Mercer are slated to join the ASUN next spring.
Up Next
The Dolphins will have the week off, as Jacksonville will hit the field in the SoCon Tournament Semifinals on May 7, hosted by High Point.
