Women's Lacrosse | 2/23/2019 3:40:00 PM

ERIE, Pa. -- The 15th-ranked Mercyhurst women's lacrosse team will open its season on Sunday with a non-conference contest against Ursuline at Tullio Field. Opening draw is slated for 1 p.m.

Mercyhurst finished with a 13-7 overall record last season, including a 9-3 slate in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference play. The Lakers were the No. 3 seed in the PSAC Tournament, advancing to the finals before falling to West Chester. Mercyhurst has appeared in five consecutive PSAC Tournament finals.

Junior Kira Kolb leads a solid group of returners. She was named IWLCA All-America Second Team, All-Atlantic Region First Team and All-PSAC First Team last year. She led the Lakers in groundballs (52) and ranked second in draw controls (86) and caused turnovers (38). Within the PSAC, she ranks seventh in draw controls per game (4.30). On offense, she had one assist.

A pair of All-Atlantic Region Second Team performers from 2018, senior Angelina Simon and MacKenzie Shanahan, also return. Simon emerged as a key player on offense and ranked second on the team in goals (45) and third in points (53). Simon was also third on the squad in draw controls (52). Shanahan was a shutdown defender for the Lakers' back-line. She totaled 16 groundballs and nine caused turnovers.

The Lakers will open their season with a pair of home games, starting with Ursuline. They will then host 25th-ranked Tiffin on Sunday, Mar. 3. After a pair of road games at Roberts Wesleyan and West Virginia Wesleyan, MU will welcome defending national champ Le Moyne to Erie on Mar. 13 before opening PSAC play at home on Mar. 16 against Bloomsburg.

On their 2019 schedule, the Lakers have five opponents ranked in the IWLCA Top 25: Le Moyne (1), West Chester (5), East Stroudsburg (6), Lock Haven (21) and Tiffin (25).