CONTACT: Adam Sopris, a.sopris@hvcc.edu, (518) 629-7898 or (518) 416-2137
FOR RELEASE: Immediate, Friday, March 1, 2024

The Hudson Valley Community College men's lacrosse season is off to a great start as they defeated Mercer 10-6 in the 2024 season-opener on Friday evening in Robbinsville, NJ.

The Vikings snapped a four-game losing streak against Mercer and improve to 1-0 for the second consecutive year. The Vikings were led by returner, Cole Duncan, who accumulated five goals and added a pair of assists. He played a role in 70-percent of the team's scoring, which ultimately led to the program's first victory over Mercer.

It didn't take long for Duncan and the Vikings to get on the board as he scored his first goal less than two minutes into the game. Mercer responded within the next five minutes, but Duncan quickly closed the door with back-to-back goals to close out the opening quarter. Duncan scored his second goal at the 2:42 mark and followed it up with another goal at the 14-second mark, before the end of the quarter.

Hudson Valley did not relinquish their lead for the remainder of the night and only allowed back-to-back Mercer goals once in the third quarter. The rest of the time, the Vikings held the lead and the overall momentum of the game.

In the second quarter, the two programs battled to a 2-2 tie with Isaac Weber and Wilfred Wright scoring their first goals of the season. The back-to-back goals in the third for Mercer was the closest they would have gotten to tying the game as Mercer won the quarter 2-1 but Hudson Valley still held on to a 6-5 advantage heading into the final quarter.

In the fourth, Duncan and Wright put Mercer away as the Vikings outscored the home team 4-1 in the final 12 minutes of the game. Duncan also assisted on Anthony Mallette's first collegiate goal, which put the Vikings up 10-6 with 4:07 remaining in the game.

The Vikings return to action on Tuesday, March 5 when they host Mohawk Valley at the Outdoor Athletic Complex on the campus of HVCC. The game is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. and will be live streamed at www.hvccathletics.com/WATCH.