ERIE, PA - After trailing by four goals early in the game, the Seton Hill University men's lacrosse team staged a comeback that spanned the final three quarters in an 11-9 win over Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) rival Mercyhurst University on Saturday afternoon in Erie.

The Griffins improve to 9-1 overall and 3-0 in the G-MAC. Mercyhurst falls to 6-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play.

Mercyhurst built a 5-1 lead by the first minute of the second quarter before Seton Hill scored five unanswered goals to gain their first lead of the game, 6-5, with 6:04 remaining in the 3rd. Shane Pettke started off the run with an unassisted goal that made it 5-2 with 11:12 remaining in the second quarter. Zack Rusch scored off of a Ryan Manbeck assist at the 5:11 mark to get SHU within two, 5-3. Manbeck would strike again, this time with a goal just eleven seconds later off of a Logan Maloni assist to pull to within one, 5-4. From there the two teams would battle back-and-forth through halftime until the Zack Rusch tied the game at 5-5 with an unassisted goal at 8:56 in the third quarter. Seton Hill would gain their first lead of the game when Logan Maloni scored off of a Jack Moran assist to put the Griffins ahead, 6-5, with 6:04 remaining in the third.

Mercyhurst would answer with two-straight goals though, pulling ahead 7-6 at the 12:49 mark in the fourth quarter. Shane Pettke halted that streak by scoring an unassisted goal at the 7:49 mark to even the game at seven-all. A goal by Mercyhurst with 6:07 remaining gave the Lakers the lead, but that was short-lived as Jack Moran evened the game with a goal off of a Logan Maloni assist just twenty seconds later. Mercyhurst would win the ensuing face off as the home team looked to regain the lead. That's when SHU's Max Eismann came up big with saves on consecutive shots, and the momentum would swing into Seton Hill's favor. The Griffins strung together three-straight goals - two from Hofseth (2:41, 1:02) and another from Brett Craig (0:50) - to take control of the game and hold on for the win.

Zack Rusch and Logan Maloni led SHU with three points each. Rusch, John Hofseth, and Shane Pettke all scored two goals apiece with Jay Scerbo, Jack Moran, Brett Craig, Ryan Manbeck, and Maloni all adding goals on the day. Maloni led SHU with game-high two assists. 

Defensively, Erik Hammer had two caused turnovers while Jay Scerbo won 18 of 23 face offs - three-straight during the game-winning run in the fourth - and finished with 15 ground balls. Max Eismann grabbed 11 saves in the win. 

For Mercyhurst, Horn scored a game-high three goals, while Pipher, Perna, and Grenon all contributed two goals in the effort. Starr finished with seven saves in the net.

Seton Hill travels to Elkins, WV to take on Davis & Elkins College on Tuesday, April 10th. That game is scheduled for a 4:00 PM start.