Sophomore Chase Mercier (Boscawen, N.H.) scored three goals and added three assists as Plymouth State University held off the University of New England, 12-11, in a non-conference men's lacrosse game at UNE Blue Bolt Field on Thursday afternoon. Plymouth State overcame an early 2-0 deficit to take a 5-3 lead after the first quarter and the Panthers went into the halftime break with an 8-7 advantage. UNE tied the game in the opening minute of the third quarter, but the Panthers went up on Mercier's second goal with just ten seconds left in the frame. PSU tallied three straight goals, including Mercier's third, through the middle stages of the final 15 minutes to push the lead to 12-9, but the Nor'easters rallied with two goals in the final two minutes. UNE had a shot at a game-tying goal in the final seconds, but a Panther defender blocked the shot and PSU recovered the ground ball. Senior Casey Elkins (Stow, Mass.) and sophomore Connor Delea (Manchester, N.H.) each added three goals apiece, while senior Paul Luongo (Northborough, Mass.) added a pair of tallies. Senior goalie Zel Kerkel (Loudon, N.H.) made 16 saves to earn the win. Plymouth State improves to 1-0, while the Nor'easters dip to 1-2 on the year.