Marist men’s lacrosse began their 2026 campaign with a 13-9 road loss against the Mercer Bears. Marist chased from behind for almost the entire game; they quickly jumped out to a 1–0 first-quarter lead thanks to junior midfielder Sean Mullen but never led again.
After Mullen’s goal, Mercer scored three unanswered goals to finish the first quarter up 5–2. Sophomore goaltender Adam Wachholder struggled early, allowing five goals on seven shots.
As the game went on, the Red Foxes did not lie down. They brought the score to 6–5 thanks to Mullen once again; he finished with a hat trick, putting the offense on his back.
The one-goal deficit quickly disappeared as Mercer scored three straight, making it a 9–5 game.
Marist continued to fight back and brought the lead back within two. Goals from sophomore attackman Brady Dolan and freshman attackman Jayce Konowitz made it a tight game in the third quarter. Both young players could play a major role in the Marist offense this season.
Wachholder started to catch some momentum in the second half by saving four shots in the third quarter and finishing the game with 10 saves. The defense looked rejuvenated coming out of the locker room, holding Mercer to just two goals up until the four-minute mark.
As time wound down in the third, Mercer scored two late goals, giving them a 12–8 lead heading into the fourth quarter and all of the momentum. Marist struggled to defend sophomore attackman Will Zylstra, who finished with a game-high four goals.
Needing the offense to come through late, Marist failed to break through. Mercer’s defense anchored down, not giving up any goals after the 11-minute mark. Freshman goalie Jacob Neuman shined in net, saving 13 of the 22 Marist shots on goal.
Mercer scored one more goal late to put the game to bed. The Bears improved to 2–0 on the season while Marist fell to 0–1. A sluggish start by the Red Foxes proved to be the difference in the game.
Next, Marist will head to Yale for the second game of an early-season three-game road trip. Faceoff is set for 7 p.m. under the lights in New Haven.
Edited by Max Rosen
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo Marist Athletics
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