MACON, Ga. – The final eight meetings on the 2024 radar will be the most important for the Presbyterian College lacrosse team, turning over a new leaf after dropping Central Connecticut last week and with a full eight days of rest in the aftermath. Big South match number one will occur against last year's regular season champion, visiting Mercer at 4:00 PM on Wednesday.

PC will look to change recent trends against the Bears – a regular stalwart in the division – dropping the last five in the series after earning a W in the inaugural affair back in 2015 (a one-goal thriller that came at Bailey Memorial Stadium).

The Blue Hose vanquished CCSU last Tuesday behind a multitude of elite defense, limiting their northern foe to a single score in the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th periods as they clung to a five-goal triumph.

Presbyterian allowed only two strikes in the final 42 minutes during the victory over the Blue Devils, gathering a smattering of momentum in the process as they travel to a league opponent that has accumulated 31 W's over the past two full seasons.

 
GAMEDAY INFO – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27
Presbyterian (1-7) at Mercer (3-5) | 4:00 PM
WHERE: Five Star Stadium (Macon, Ga.)
WATCH: ESPN+

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
 
- A 3-5 resume for the Bears seems to be a tad misleading at present day, going up against a Power-5 gauntlet that has included Virginia Tech, Clemson, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Notre Dame this spring.

- In contests where Mercer has faced a school outside the ACC or SEC, head coach Samantha Eustace's club has been a vicious offensive machine, scoring 17 versus Davidson as well as 24 against Coastal Carolina and 25 against Kennesaw State.

- While their last three adversaries have all represented major collegiate conferences, the Bears are still a formidable lineup that has mustered 106 goals on the semester (42 of which have been assisted).

- Nearly 80 percent of Mercer's shot-on-goal attempts have broken through, a strong statistic considering their level of competition, boasting four attackers that have already eclipsed 15 goals thus far.

- Senior midfielder Gabby DiVirgilio has collected a team-best 32 points (20 scores, 12 helpers), converting 94 percent of her on-target tries.

- Another Bear veteran, Kayla Soltys, has scooped up 41 draw controls which amounts to 5 per outing (a figure that sits at the top of all Big South athletes). Additionally, keeper Kate Vanderlinde has stopped 118 shots in the season's first month-and-a-half, snaring nine saves per game which ranks 21^st in the country.

 
LAST TIME OUT
 
- Presbyterian will show no trepidation against a squad that posted an undefeated mark in conference play last spring, partly due to their exceptional preventative effort against Central Connecticut last week.

- Behind starting goalie Kayleigh Aitken – who was named the Adidas / Game One PC Student-Athlete of the Week earlier today – and stout defenders Avery West, Miranda Castilla, and Juliana San Lucas, the Blue Hose forced CCSU into a period of 27 minutes and 45 seconds between their only two scores of the second half.

- Add in a five-goal output by preseason all-leaguer Willow Hammond (only one off a personal-high) and a lead as large as six, and the outcome was PC waltzing to the wire-to-wire win.

- Rookie Emma Claire Mills became the first player in Presbyterian history to be selected for Big South Freshman of the Week honors twice in a single year after producing a two-goal showing, lining up both of those connections in only 35 seconds.

- PC obtained two conference victories as the visiting party last season, downing Radford and Winthrop by a combined 10 goals as they began the '23 league slate at 3-1.

- That all started with a 12-8 decision that toppled Wofford in the Big South opener, a result they hope to duplicate tomorrow against an enemy who has won its last 14 conference matchups dating back to 2022.