Video credits: Photography, video and production by Ethan Magoc
Music by Alex Pauken 

Boxscore

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- Robert Giambra contributed two field goals and the Lakers added touchdowns by Gerald Anderson and Max Khuri to give Mercyhurst a 19-7 victory at Lock Haven. 

The win is the second-straight for the Lakers and improves their overall record to 3-2. Meanwhile, Lock Haven falls to 0-4 overall, 0-2 . 

Giambra's 37-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in the opening quarter showcased all the scoring in the first half as the Lakers entered intermission with a slim 3-0 advantage. 

The Lakers had a chance to put points on the ball in their opening possession but a tough Lock Haven defense tripped up Ben Jennings on 4th-and-1 from the Bald Eagles 1-yard line. 

Mercyhurst found itself deep in LHU territory on its next three drives, with Giambra connecting for his third field goal of the year, one-yard shy of his career-long. However, the Lakers then were forced to punt from the Bald Eagles 34-yardline on the ensuing possession and Joe Laffey was intercepted at the LHU 19-yardline by Wes Plummer to stop the Lakers threat. 

The two teams went nearly two quarters without scoring before Giambra connected on his fourth field goal of the year with 4:42 remaining in the third to increase the Lakers lead to 6-0. The 33-yarder was his third in four chances from +30 yards out. 

Mercyhurst then used a 12-play, 74-yard drive that chewed 6:42 off the clock. Facing a 3rd-and-19 situation, Laffey connected with Trevor Kennedy for a 28-yard strike to the Mercyhurst 45-yardline. Two plays later, Kennedy hit the ground for a 13-yard gain into Bald Eagles territory at the LHU-44. Anderson rushed for the next three plays, taking the Lakers to the Lock Haven 35-yardline and Laffey added another three yards on the ground before Anderson pushed for seven more. A false start moved Mercyhurst back to the Lock Haven 30-yardline, but Laffey hit Khuri on the next play for a 30-yard touchdown bomb. 

The Lakers would go for the two-point conversion but Laffey's pass to Paris Bruner fell incomplete, holding the Mercyhurst lead at 12-0. 

The Lakers got a big boost from defensive end Fred Hale on the Bald Eagles very next possession as LHU quarterback Jarret Kratzer fumbled the ball on the first play from scrimmage and Hale alertly recovered the ball at the LHU 35-yardline. 

Mercyhurst was unable to capitalize on the turnover with Anderson fumbling the ball at the Lock Haven 1-yardline and the Bald Eagles falling on the ball in the endzone for a touchback. 

However, the Lakers defense came up big again on the next Lock Haven possession, forcing a turnover on downs after the Bald Eagles Ibrahim Smith rushed for a gain of 11 to start the drive. 

That set up Anderson, who rumbled in from 31 yards out on the first play from scrimmage for the Lakers final score. 

Meanwhile, the Lakers defense came just 27 seconds shy of its second shutout in as many seasons. The Bald Eagles Jarryd Burkett connected with Smith from 30 yards out to cap an 8-play, 41-yard drive to spoil the whitewashing. 

The Lakers defense held Lock Haven to -12 rushing yards while collecting 165 yards of their own, led by Anderson with 90 yards on 18 carries. Jennings also contributed 56 yards on 20 attempts. 

Lock Haven managed just 187 yards total offense in comparison to the Lakers 327 yards. 

Laffey connected with six different receivers as he completed 12 of 23 attempts for 163 yards. Kennedy and Josh Szeluga were his favorite targets on the day with three receptions each. 

Defensively, the Lakers forced Lock Haven to punt or give the ball up on downs in 11 of 13 possessions. Kevin William led Mercyhurst with seven tackles while Tim Herbener and Bryan Boyce added five tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss each. Hale finished with four tackles, a team-best 1.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. 

The Lakers return to the road this week with a 2 p.m. contest at Slippery Rock. The Lakers defeated Slippery Rock 34-10 a year ago at Tullio Field.