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ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst men's soccer team opens postseason play with a rematch of last season's Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament semifinal matchup with West Chester on Friday, November 7, at Mercyhurst Soccer Field.
Mercyhurst (16-2-0, 10-1-0 PSAC) is coming off of another stellar regular season, where they earned the number one overall seed and the opportunity to host the PSAC tournament for the third consecutive season. West Chester, who was the only team to defeat the Lakers back in mid-September, 1-2, looks to repeat what they have already done once this season at Mercyhurst.
The Golden Rams earned their way to the semifinal matchup with a win in the quarterfinals Tuesday afternoon against last year's PSAC tournament champion, Slippery Rock, 3-0.
Mercyhurst comes into the contest riding a 12 game win streak, which is the longest under direction of Head Coach Dale White. They concluded their regular season schedule last week with two, 5-1, wins at Lock Haven and at rival Gannon.
Junior Richard Vanhorne looks to continue his solid play after a stellar week of performance. Vanhorne recorded a hat trick in the first 22 minutes of the game at Lock Haven and added an assist at Gannon bringing his regular season totals to nine goals, four assists, and 22 points.
The Lakers three headed monster, Fernando Martinez, Jack Watson, and Danny Deakin, also look to continue their stellar play into the postseason. Martinez, Watson and Deakin combined to post a stat line of 40 goals, 27 assists, and 107 points throughout the regular season.
Watson and Deakin are also making headlines nationally in Division II statistical categories. Deakin is currently tied atop the nation's best in total assists with 13, as Watson is tied for third in total goals with 19.
Last season, the Lakers played the Golden Rams in the PSAC Tournament semifinal game and ended up advancing with a, 3-0, victory. Mercyhurst has played in the PSAC Championship the past two seasons, where their record is 1-1. They faced Slippery Rock both times; winning in 2012, 1-0, and then losing the following year, 2-3, in double overtime.
Tickets to the semifinal and championship rounds for the PSAC Tournament are $7 for adults and $2 for children. PSAC passes will be made available for all who qualify, as they will be no complimentary tickets. Students from PSAC member institutions will be admitted free of charge with a valid student ID.
The winner of the first semifinal game will face off against the second semifinal matchup between the two seed Bloomsburg and three seed Seton Hill at 2:00 p.m. Friday. The PSAC Championship will be played Saturday, November 8, at 11:00 a.m.
