Junior attacker Pascal Coombs' trio of goals helped lead the Mercer men's lacrosse team to a hard-fought 10-8 defensive battle at Delaware Tuesday afternoon. How It Happened Delaware (3-2) struck first as Dean DiSimone netted an early goal, catching the Bears off guard just 58 seconds into the game. Mercer (2-4) kept their composure as Bryan Gibson scored with 11:08 remaining in the first period to even the game at 1-1. Scott Baird scored his 12th goal of the season just minutes later to give the Bears a 2-1 lead after one period of play. Once again the teams traded leads as the Blue Hens' Bryce Reid scored in the 4th minute and 12th minute of the second period. Coombs netted his first goal of the game with 2:08 remaining in the half, as the squads entered the break tied at 3-3. Delaware regained the lead once more as DiSimone beat the Bears' keeper just under five minutes into the second half. Mercer would then rally for five straight goals, including two from Nate Patterson, to stretch to their largest lead of the game at 8-4. With 8:55 remaining in the game, Bryan Gibson dished a behind the back pass to Mikey Ewing, who then fired a behind the back shot into goal, in a Sportscenter Top 10 worthy fashion. The Blue Hens would not go away easy as they scored three consecutive goals in the fourth quarter to cut the Bears lead to 9-8. However, Baird assisted Matt Quinn with 1:27 left in the game to help seal the 10-8 victory for Mercer. With the win, Mercer improves to 2-4 on the season, while Delaware falls to 3-2. Notables » The Bears were one for four on extra man opportunities, with Pascal Coombs scoring his third goal of the day in the 2nd minute of the fourth quarter. » Mercer caused the Blue Hens to commit 14 turnovers on the afternoon. » Goalkeeper Bradley Hodoval tallied seven saves. Quotables "Mercer lacrosse had a program win tonight. I'm extremely proud of the way our guys played. Their effort and trust was incredible. We have improved each week this season and tonight was a reward for a group of guys who believe and continue to go to work every day. This goes to show that strong character, belief and work will bring success." - Head Coach Kyle Hannan Records Update Mercer: 2-4, 0-0 SoCon Delaware: 3-2, 0-0 ACC Next Game The Bears will continue their road swing traveling to Emmitsburg, Md. to face Mount St.