No other coach in the history of the Mercyhurst field hockey program has had more success than head coach Stacey Gaudette. In 2020, she will be entering her 19th year at the helm, Gaudette has led the Lakers to 123Â wins and has seen her players earn numerous honors both on the field and in the classroom.
2019 saw the Lakers earn three wins over Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a pair of triumphs against Seton Hill. On September 25, Gaudette led Mercyhurst to historical moment when the Lakers knocked off IUP by a 2-1 final in the program's first ever shootout. Her team had a good year in the classroom with 13 players named PSAC Scholar Athletes. Two members in particular Jillian Blas and Victoria Darling truly excelled earning NFHCA Division II Scholars of Distinction honors.   Â
In 2018, her team notched five victories including a pair of shutouts over Queen University of Charlotte (N.C.) and on the road at PSAC foe Seton Hill University. Clare Ahern paced the side with 18 points on six goals and six assists. Hayley Skidmore also joined Ahern with a team-high six goals. Libby Jones was strong in cage going 4-5 with a 2.17 goals against average and posted both shutouts. In the classroom the Lakers were dominant as well with 17 players being selected for the NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad.
During the 2017 season, the Lakers had a bounce back season earning a  7-11 record in the regular season. The Lakers were led offensively by Nicolette Tomani and Clare Ahern who had 19 and 13 points respectively. The Lakers also recieved quality goaltending from Victoria Triaga who started every game this season.  Â
During the 2016 season the Lakers posted a 2-15 record with victories over PSAC competitors Mansfield and Indiana back to back. The Lakers were led offensively by Bryna Cook and Jessica Brandon both scoring four goals apiece during the season. Senior Emily Burns represented the Lakers in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II Senior Game. Â
In 2015, Mercyhurst won eight contests, posting a 6-5 home record at Tullio Field. The Lakers finished 4-6 in the PSAC. Junior midfielder Emily Burns represented the Lakers on the All-PSAC second-team. As a sophmore midfielder, Burns, along with senior forward Blair Pembleton, and junior defender Andrea Goldblach, were selected as ECAC Division II Field Hockey All-Stars in 2014.
In 2013, Mercyhurst had its strongest year since 2009. It won nine games-the most by a Laker team in four years. The Lakers also scored 46 goals, the most in a single season since the 2002 campaign. They had another strong season at Tullio Field, going 6-4 at home. Meghan Smith and Andrea Goldbach were both named All-PSAC Second Team and Blair Pembleton was chosen All-PSAC Third Team. Smith concluded a stellar career, starting every game in her four years at Mercyhurst. She was selected to the NFHCA North/South Senior All-Star Game following the season.
In 2012, the Lakers won six contests, including a 5-3 mark at Tullio Field. Goalkeeper Jess Wess set a school record with 24 saves in a game at Bloomsburg. Off the field, 12 Lakers were named to the 2012 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad. Meghan Smith was one of 29 student-athletes in the nation to earn 2012 Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division II Scholar of Distinction honors.
The 2011 team won two more games than the 2010 edition, but it made bigger strides in less obvious areas. The Lakers were in nearly every contest last season, playing 11 one-goal matches and heading to overtime in seven games. With freshmen as three of its top five point scorers, Hurst should be ready to make a bigger leap in 2012.Â
Seniors Rachel Sluberski and Serena Slattery wrapped up their careers in 2011. Sluberski scored three goals and assisted on three others while playing standout defense for the Lakers. She was a Second Team Longstreth/NFHCA All-American. She was an all-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West First Team selection. Sluberski started all 74 games in her career and goes down as one of the top defenders in program history. The Elma, New York, native was a finalist for the 2012 Mercyhurst Senior Student-Athlete of the Year Award.
Slattery, another standout defender, scored three goals and added two assists in 2011. She was named Second Team Longstreth/NFHCA All-American, along with All-PSAC West First Team after each of her last two seasons and was a second team pick in 2009. Eleven players were chosen PSAC Scholar Athletes.
Gaudette coached Hurst to a 4-15-1 mark in 2010 as the team faced several national powers, including NCAA runner-up Shippensburg.
In 2009, Gaudette and the Lakers posted their second straight winning season with a 10-8 record and made the playoffs for the first time in program history, finishing second in the PSAC Western Division to earn a berth into the PSAC Field Hockey Championship Tournament. Despite falling to eventual national champion Bloomsburg in the first round, the Lakers accomplished several feats during another milestone season.
On defense, Mercyhurst posted six shutouts to surpass the 2005 squad for third most shutouts in program history, and held opponents to three goals or less in 14 of its 18 games played. Offensively, the team averaged 2.33 goals per game and scored 42 goals on the season, marking the most goals scored by a Laker squad since the 2005 campaign. Emily Warren led the attack, shattering school records for most points and goals in a career with her 12-goal, 28-point performance.
Following the season, two Lakers – Warren and Courtney Loper – earned All-PSAC Western Division First Team honors before being named All-Americans along with Kristen Fogle.
During her tenure, Gaudette’s teams have averaged nearly eight wins a season while her players have been honored 13 times as All-Americans, four times as all-rookie selections and five times as all-conference performers. In addition, more than a dozen players have been selected as players of the week. Her teams have also excelled academically by earning the NFHCA Academic Team Award three times.
Prior to becoming just the second head coach in the history of the field hockey program, Gaudette spent several years as a teacher and coach at Susquehanna Township, a small high school near her hometown of Harrisburg, Pa. Along with her mentioned roles, Gaudette went above and beyond at Susquehanna by creating several new programs for the school, including two out-of-season field hockey programs and a summer play-day camp. She also ran a winter and spring instructional program for elementary-aged players from the area as well as a Future Stars program.
Outside of her time at Susquehanna, Gaudette involved herself in several local field hockey programs. She served as the president of the Mid-Penn Coaches Association and head coach / site director for the Harrisburg and Hershey USFHA Futures program.
Before returning to central Pennsylvania, Gaudette found her roots in coaching as an assistant at her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. Under the direction of head coach Robin Balducci, Gaudette worked closely with the defense and goalkeepers while also assisting in recruiting, fundraising, and player development. Her work at UNH wasn’t just isolated to the Wildcats’ field hockey program, either. She also helped out as the Northeast Region Head Goalkeeper coach for the USFHA Futures program, as well as a field player coach at the New Hampshire Futures site.
For Gaudette, athletics has played a major role in her family. She was the first of five children to pursue sports at the collegiate level. Her three sisters, Tricia, Michelle and Nicole, undoubtedly followed in her footsteps. Tricia, the second-oldest in the family, went on to play field hockey at Duke University, where she was named a third-team All-American and guided the Blue Devils to a mark of 47-23-3 during her career. Michelle, the middle child, pursued a hockey career at Iowa, helping the Hawkeyes to the Division I National Championship, while Nicole, the youngest of the four Gaudette sisters, started in 90 games at James Madison University and was named a first-team all-conference selection. Bill, the youngest of the five, chose a different path, as he played soccer at St. John’s University before going on to play for the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer (MLS). He currently plays for the Puerto Rico Islanders of the USL First Division.
During her playing days at UNH she was a four-year starter for the Wildcats. At one point, she was also the team’s leading scorer, having scored six goals on penalty strokes. Simultaneously, she was a member of the US National Team Squad. She began playing at A Camp her junior year in high school and participated in two Olympic Festivals. She continued to play in the National Program until 1992.
Gaudette, a 1991 graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a degree in political science, currently resides in Erie, Pa.
Gaudette's Record at Mercyhurst
| Year |
W |
L |
W |
L |
| 2003 |
8 |
8 |
|
|
| 2004 |
9 |
9 |
|
|
| 2005 |
9 |
11 |
|
|
| 2006 |
7 |
8 |
|
|
| 2007 |
4 |
12 |
|
|
 LAKERS JOIN THE PSAC
| Year |
W |
L |
W |
L |
| 2008 |
10 |
9 |
4 |
4 |
| 2009 |
10 |
8 |
5 |
3 |
| 2010 |
5 |
14 |
2 |
6 |
| 2011 |
7 |
11 |
3 |
7 |
| 2012 |
6 |
12 |
3 |
7 |
| 2013 |
9 |
9 |
4 |
6 |
| 2014 |
9 |
10 |
7 |
7 |
| 2015 |
8 |
10 |
4 |
6 |
| 2016 |
2 |
15 |
2 |
8 |
| 2017 |
7 |
11 |
2 |
8 |
| 2018 |
5 |
13 |
3 |
7 |
| 2019 |
3 |
15 |
1 |
9 |
| Overall Career |
118 |
185 |
40 |
78 |
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