MACON, GA. – Big South Offensive Player of the Year Caroline Glus scored a game high five goals to lift the top-seeded Mercer Bears to a 16-8 victory over No. 4 Furman, Friday evening in the semifinals of the Big South Women's Lacrosse Championship at Five Star Stadium.
Mercer improves to 12-6 on the season and advances to the championship game on Sunday afternoon to face either No. 2 High Point or No. 3 Wofford at 12 p.m.
Shae Insinga, who was named Big South Newcomer of the Year on Thursday, paced the Paladin offense with four goals while picking up two ground balls.
Reynolds Hester and second team All-Big South
Lily Toole both provided three points on two goals and an assist.
Caroline Smith contributed an assist.
Skylar Hilmer, second team All-Big South
Allie Kandel, and Big South All-Freshman Team selection
Cate Noone all won three draws. Hilmer was one of three players that caused two turnovers along with
Charlotte Kent and honorable mention All-Big South
Zoe Milmoe. Goalie
Sailor Henderson finished with 10 saves.
Kent set a new career high with eight ground balls to lead all players, which ranks tied for second-most in a game in program history. Three other players have recorded eight ground balls in a contest with the last coming on March 2, 2024, when former Paladin goalie Lily Rathbun posted eight versus James Madison.
Glus led the Bears offensively with her five goals while Maya Maldonado turned in three. Sofia D'Angelo recorded four points and Ansley Walters three. In goal, Mackenzie Ward collected 12 saves, four ground balls, and two caused turnovers.
Mercer outscored Furman 10-1 over a stretch of nearly 25 minutes to build a 12-3 lead at the 8:57 mark of the third quarter. The Paladins struck for two goals from Hester in the opening 8:16 to build a 2-0 lead. The Bears answered with back-to-back goals to close out the first quarter. Following Insinga's free position goal with 12:11 to go in the second quarter to make the score 4-3, Mercer came back with eight consecutive goals to take the nine-goal lead.
Insinga and Toole ended the third quarter with goals over the last 2:21and the fourth period saw both teams find the back of the net three times. Toole got Furman's scoring started in the final 15 minutes and Insinga cut the deficit down to 15-8 with 2:27 left in the contest, scoring twice in a stretch of less than a minute.
The Paladins concluded the contest recording 24 shots, 17 ground balls, 11 caused turnovers, and nine draws.
Furman wraps up the 2026 campaign with a 10-9 overall record, marking the first time since 2015-17 that the program has compiled back-to-back 10-plus win seasons.
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