SPARKS, MD – Playing at the home of USA Lacrosse, the Florida Tech men's lacrosse team put forth an effort against #17 ranked Mercy on Saturday night that they can be proud of, even if the result didn't match. After trailing by four late in the first half, the Panthers took the lead for the first time early in the fourth quarter but could not make it stand up as the Mavericks rallied with four unanswered goals to earn the win, 13-10.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Florida Tech 10, #17 Mercy 13
Records: Florida Tech (2-4, 0-0 SSC) | #17 Mercy (3-2, 0-0 ECC)
Locations: Tierney Field, USA Lacrosse HQ | Sparks, MD

FIRST QUARTER:

• The Mavericks broke the ice after just 84 seconds through Jimmy Osorio.
• Florida Tech equalized just under seven minutes later through Aidan Addison, who scored his third goal in as many games.
• Mercy re-took the lead at the 3:11 mark on Christopher Bergersen's goal.
• Danny Fitzgerald concluded the scoring for the opening frame 53 seconds later to give the Mavericks a 3-1 advantage.
• Both teams killed off two penalties in the quarter.

SECOND QUARTER:

• 15 seconds into the second stanza, Gavin Stecher brought Tech within one thanks to his third goal of the season on a feed from Joe Coveleski.
• Bergersen pushed the Crimson and Gray's deficit back to two at 11:55 on his second marker of the night.
• Thanks to some grit work from Bobby Canaway, Drew Haffner scored his first goal of the season at 6:01 to make it 4-3.
• After the Panthers were denied a chance to the game a minute later, the Mavericks proceeded to score twice in the space of 15 seconds.
• Devon Duchnowski pushed the Mercy back to 5-3 at the 4:13 mark and after winning the ensuing faceoff, Osorio's second of the night gave the Mavericks a three-goal advantage.
• Following a slashing penalty against the Panthers, Osorio completed his hat trick with 32 seconds remaining to make it 7-3.
• Florida Tech, however, would get a jolt going into the locker room as following a faceoff win, Brooks Van Esselstyn converted with four seconds on the clock to cut the deficit to three at the intermission.
   

THIRD QUARTER:

• Joe Coveleski made sure the momentum stayed on Florida Tech, when, after a failed Mavericks clear, he cashed in Jakob Terpak's to bring the Panthers within 7-5 at 13:39.
• Haffner kept the Crimson and Gray wave rolling just over three minutes later as his goal cut the deficit to one.
• Exactly 60 seconds later at 9:25, Aidan Babik ended the Panther run and gave Mercy some breathing room.
• Cole Hunsberger continued the trend with an extra man goal at 7:58.
• Tech closed the quarter strong, beginning with Andrew Walenty's goal off of a feed from Jack Cornwell at 3:41.
• Haffner completed the first hat trick of collegiate career at 2:06, cashing in with an assist from Stecher.
• 40 seconds later, Coveleski completed the comeback following Shale Saeger's faceoff win and shot, tying the game at nine heading into the game's final 15 minutes.
   

FOURTH QUARTER:

• Carter Batt won the opening faceoff and 51 seconds late, Cornwell set up Van Esselstyn's second of the night to give Tech their first lead of the game.
• Four and a half minutes later, Mercy would level the proceedings through AJ Barone.
• The Mavericks went back on top 47 seconds later thanks to Duchnowski at 8:43.
• Duchnowski then completed his hat trick at 4:28 to give Mercy a 12-10 advantage.
• Mercy won the ensuing faceoff and their possession eventually ended with Babik's second goal of the night to give the Mavericks a three-goal advantage with 3:12 remaining.
   

NOTABLE PANTHERS:

• Joe Coveleski and Drew Haffner led the Panthers with three points each.
• Haffner recorded the first hat trick of his collegiate career.
• Coveleski's two goals give him a team-leading eight on the campaign.
• Brooks Van Esselstyn notched two goals to bring his season total to six.
• Gavin Stecher provided a goal and an assist, bringing his season points to six.
• Andrew Walenty scored for the fourth consecutive game.
• Aidan Addison scored for the third consecutive game.
• Jack Cornwell contributed two assists.
• Carter Batt led Tech in groundballs gathered on the day with seven, doubling his season total in the process.
• Batt and Steve Ulrichs each had three caused turnovers, the highest among the Panthers. Garrett Gmeiner, Jaden Griggs, and Carson Mann each had two.
• Batt went 8-of-15 at the X, while Shale Saeger was 8-of-12.
• Jax Francisco recorded 11 saves and a .458 save percentage across 24 shots on goal.
   

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE:

• Florida Tech outshot Mercy 38-37, while the Mavericks had more shots on goal, 24-22.
• The Panthers won the faceoff battle (14-13) and caused more turnovers (14-10), while also gathering more ground balls (40-21).
• Florida Tech was 16-of-22 on clears, while Mercy went 15-of-19.
   

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was the first-ever meeting between the schools.
• The Panthers are now 1-1 all-time at Tierney Field, having previously played there on March 5, 2022, earning a 14-6 win over Seton Hill.

UP NEXT: Florida Tech will be back on the field next Saturday, March 15th returning to the friendly confines of Rick Stottler Field for the first time in over a month when they host Alabama-Huntsville. The opening faceoff is scheduled for 11 A.M.

For the latest news, updates and information on the Florida Tech men's lacrosse team, visit FloridaTechSports.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Panthers news by following Florida Tech Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.