The Mercer women’s lacrosse team (3-6) heads into conference play this Saturday at home against Wofford College (3-6) as the Bears finished up the non-conference part of their season with a 16-14 loss at home to Jacksonville University (5-4).
The team had a difficult schedule in the first half of the season, facing Big 12 conference opponents such as UC Davis and Arizona State University in a west coast roadtrip. Closer to home, Mercer has faced two top 10 teams from the then-No. 6 University of Florida and then-No. 9 Clemson University. The Bears found some success against these tougher opponents, beating Clemson and UC Davis, but they struggled in the beginning of the season against lower-ranked opponents.
Prior to the start of the season, the Bears were named favorites to win the Big South conference, though they have struggled at home this year. The team has gone 1-4 as the home team this season, an area in which they are usually dominant - in the past three season, the Bears racked up a home record of 24-7.
The team is led by Caroline Glus ‘26, who has scored four goals in the past four games, and who leads the team in goals and points. Glus was named to the All-Big South second team as a sophomore last year, and is tied for fifth in the conference this season with 25 goals. Abby Morrison ‘25 forms a dynamic duo with Glus, and leads the team in assists while contributing the second-most goals on the team.
So far this season, the Bears have averaged the fourth-most goals among Big South teams, but their shot percentage is the third-worst in the conference. The defense has also struggled as of late, giving up 28 points over their past two games and finishing in the bottom-three in saves within the conference. However, Kayla Casey '25 has been stellar between the sticks this season, allowing the fewest goals-per-game in the Big South.
The Big South is familiar territory for the Bears, as it has won the last three conference championships and finished first or tied for first in the regular season in each of the last three seasons. The last time Mercer fell to a Big South opponent was April 22, 2022. High Point University figures to be the Bears' biggest competition for the throne as the Panthers have the second-best record so far this season in the conference, and recently beat Virginia Tech, a team to whom Mercer lost early in the season.
History is on the Bears' side for Saturday's matchup against Wofford. In six games against the Terriers, Mercer has won each game and never scored fewer than 20 goals in a match while holding Wofford to an average of less than eight goals a game.
Jacob Hossler '28 is majoring in Biology with a potential English minor. In his free time he enjoys photography, writing, and playing tennis and soccer.
