#1 Mercer Moves Past #4 Longwood, 23-14, to Reach Championship Match
By Mercer Athletics
MACON, Ga. – Top-seeded Mercer exploded for eight goals in the opening period, including five amid a 2-minute and 30-second span early in the period, to set the tone on the way to a 23-14 victory over fourth-seeded Longwood in the semifinal round of the Big South Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon.
BOX SCORE
Senior Gabby DiVirgilio and junior Sami Lowinger both netted a quartet of goals to lead the Bears (13-5) who got hat tricks from five different players in the contest. It was the fourth loss in the last five outings for the Lancers (8-10) who have now dropped five-straight matchups in the series with the Orange & Black.
With the win, Mercer advanced to the championship game of the Big South Conference Tournament for the third time in as many seasons as a member of the distinguished league. The Bears also advanced to the title bout of the 2018 and 2019 Southern Conference Tournaments as well.
The Bears will face the winner of Friday evening's other semifinal matchup between second-seeded High Point and third-seeded Furman on Sunday at noon at Five Star Stadium. Admission is free.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sami Lowinger sparked a 5-goal run for the Bears with the game's first goal just less than 2-1/2 minutes into the afternoon. Fellow junior Abby Morrison capped the scoring flurry at the 10:02 mark when she buried an unassisted goal to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage.
Longwood scored four-straight goals of its own to pull to within a lone score, 5-4, with 3:04 left in the opening half, but the Bears tallied three more goals across the final two minutes of the second quarter to tote a 12-5 lead into the intermission.
Mercer took a 19-10 lead into the final quarter, and Abby Morrison gave the game its first running clock with her third goal of the game at the 7:38 mark that padded the advantage out to 21-11.
NOTES
* Mercer will make its third-straight appearance in the Big South Conference Tournament championship game on Sunday. The Bears defeated High Point in the 2022 title bout, and knocked off Campbell last season in Macon to grab the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
* The Bears have now won 10-straight games marking the second-straight season that the squad has put together a win streak of 10 or more games. Mercer won 12 consecutive games last year before falling to Notre Dame in its NCAA Tournament opener.
* Senior Gabby DiVirgilio notched four goals and two assists on Friday to up her point total to 91 on the season. It is the third-highest point total in program history behind former MU standouts Hailey Rhatigan (114 points in 2022) and Lindsey Zeltwanger (98 points in 2017).
* Mercer posted a lopsided 32-9 advantage in the draw controls column on Friday.
UP NEXT
Mercer will play in Sunday's Big South Tournament championship game at noon. The Bears will face the winner of Friday evening's matchup between second-seeded High Point and third-seeded Furman.