Box Score | Video Recap (TV2)

The rain might have been falling steadily at Scotty Wood Stadium, but the Muhlenberg men's lacrosse team did not let it extinguish its hot play.

Behind Jason Mertz's six points, which allowed him to reach a milestone only two other Mules have ever reached, the Mules dispatched visiting Lycoming, 15-5, for their third straight win.

"It felt really good to get this win. We are on a roll and this is something we needed," senior midfielder Austin Akner said.

Mertz needed two assists to join the elusive "40/40 Club" with 40 goals and 40 assists in his Muhlenberg career. His assist on John Hetzel's goal with 12:33 left in the second quarter allowed him to reach the milestone. He finished with a pair of goals and four assists. His 10 helpers are near the top of the Centennial Conference, which his teammates appreciate.

"He's plays a huge role for us. He quarterbacks the offense from behind the net and always has his head up. He can do a little bit of everything. All we have to do is get open and he does the rest of the work," Akner said of Mertz (pictured below).

The win helped Muhlenberg eclipse its win total of two from last year and start 3-1 for the first time since 2007. This is the Mules first three-game winning streak since 2009, after wins of 8-7 over Scranton and 18-4 over Centenary. For a group of seniors that have found themselves on the wrong side of the score a little too often the past years, handing out back-to-back double-digit wins has extra significance.

"It definitely feels great to be on the other side of this. It's new and exciting. We're all really pumped about it," Akner said. "We are all tired of losing. This feels great and we want to keep it going."               

Akner found the net for the first time this season with 4:41 to go in the first quarter. He'd net a second late in the first half. Finally getting on the board was big relief for the senior sniper.

"I've been shooting all season but I just haven't been able to get one down. The first one is the toughest, so hopefully I'll get them to go for the rest of the season," Akner said.

Holding a dominant 42-16 advantage in the shots category and 47-27 in ground balls, the Mules jumped out to a 7-1 advantage in the first period and never looked back. Brad D'Alessandro had a hat trick and an assist for good measure. Jon Thomas, Joey Hess and Hetzel each provided a pair of goals with Conner Burdick and Connor Winter rounding out the scoring. Pat Farrell had three assists and Winter two in the win. (corrected 3/17)

Defensively, the Mules have really shined over this three-game stretch, holding consecutive opponents to five goals or fewer for the first time since 2004. Tom Kellerman has stood out, causing eight of Lycoming's 27 turnovers. Kellerman did most of his damage on Lycoming (0-6) clear attempts, where the Warriors were 9-for-22 to the Mules' perfect 16-for-16.

"T.K., as we call him, is a psycho out there. He's roaming around and does everything. He brings great energy to us, which we really need. No matter what, he always performs for us," Akner said.

On faceoffs, freshman Jake Solomon went 8-for-12. Reserve Mike Luby went 6-for-8 while scooping up a game-high six ground balls. In goal, starter Adam Schlauch played the first half, with Kyle Larkin and Lance Gibson splitting the final 30 minutes. No goalie gave up more than two goals. A third win has spirits high for the 2015 Mules, no matter the weather.

"Everything's going well right now: offense, defense, ground balls. We're all playing hard and being team players," Akner said.