GREENVILLE, S.C. – Mercer led from start to finish and defeated fourth-seeded Central Michigan, 13-9, in the semifinal round of the 2019 Southern Conference Women's Lacrosse Championship at Paladin Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The win propelled top-seeded Mercer (9-9) into the SoCon Championship title match for the second consecutive year; Mercer won last year's inaugural SoCon Championship. Central Michigan (7-11) was eliminated from the tournament. Kelly Hagerty and Catie Snee totaled seven goals as the Bears put 22 of their 28 shots on goal throughout the match. Goals by the duo over the first four minutes of the match gave Mercer an early advantage. The Chippewas tied the match at 2-2 before Hagerty netted another pair, giving her a hat trick by the 14:36-minute mark of the first half. The Bears entered the halftime intermission with a 7-5 lead; Cailey Thornburg pushed the Bears ahead by two when she scored with 16 seconds left in the first half. Another two goals by Snee and Hagerty over the first 10 minutes of the second half extended the Bears' advantage to 9-5. Three consecutive scores by Central Michigan cut Mercer's lead to 11-9, but Hailey Rhatigan and Thornburg finished off the match with consecutive goals in the final 10 seconds. NOTABLES » Iseabal Cryne tallied 12 saves and a .571 save percentage over 60 minutes between the pipes. » Michaela Lucas had a team-high two caused turnovers. » Catie Snee added a team-best three draw controls to her hat trick. » Mercer was successful in 19 of its 23 clear attempts. » Hailey Rhatigan had a three-point effort with one goal and two assists, which led the team. » Cryne and Hannah Lind had three ground balls apiece. RECORDS UPDATE » No. 1 Mercer: 9-9 » No. 4 Central Michigan: 7-11 UP NEXT Mercer will play in the SoCon Championship title match at noon on Saturday. The Bears will face the winner of No. 2 Detroit Mercy and No. 3 Furman.