SLIPPERY ROCK — Jess Verbic made her emotional return pay off Wednesday for the Slippery Rock University women’s lacrosse team.

The 5-foot-8 senior attacker, one of The Rock’s captains and team leaders, did not play any of SRU’s first 15 games this season.

She missed the first contest because of an injury incurred during the offseason. But she was expected to return in time to travel with the team on spring break and play in all of the remaining games .

But Verbic learned her father, Doug Verbic, was diagnosed with cancer. His prognosis wasn’t good, so she returned home to Mansfield, Mass., to be with family. Her father died at home April 11.

Later that day, SRU played a “Stick it to Cancer” game and defeated East Stroudsburg. Many of the Rock’s players took the field with the initials DV painted on their faces.

Wednesday, 11 days later, Verbic played her first game of the season for SRU after practicing just twice in two months. She entered the game as a substitute and scored two critical goals in the second half as SRU upset sixth-ranked Mercyhurst, 11-9.

The win marked SRU’s first-ever victory over Merrcyhurst.

Verbic scored her first goal with 15:08 left in the game, ending a 4-0 Mercyhurst run and beginning a five-goal Rock assault that gave SRU the lead. Her second goal with 51 seconds left snapped a 9-9 tie.

SRU (9-7, 7-4) has won five straight games and sits alone in sixth place — the final conference playoff position — with a one-game lead over Bloomsburg with one game left to play.

SRU hosts undefeated and second-ranked Lock Haven Saturday. Bloomsburg plays Millersville. If the teams wind up tied for sixth, Bloomsburg wins the tiebreaker.