ERIE, Pa. - The No.22 Mercyhurst women's lacrosse team will finally get to have their 2020 Home Opener when they welcome PSAC West foe Slippery Rock University to Saxon Stadium for a 4pm opening draw for their PSAC West lid-lifter as well.
Game Information
Opponent - The Rock of Slippery Rock University
Date - Wednesday, March 11
Time - 4 pm
Location - Erie, Pa. (Saxon Stadium)
Series History - Hurst leads 13-1 (Lakers won last meeting 7-5 on 4/16/19 in Erie)
Last Meeting against Slippery Rock - LAKERS 7, Rock 5 (4/16/19)
Mercyhurst led 1-0 just over eight minutes in when
Lacey Netti setup
Julia Rescott for a man-up tally. Kelsey Thoensen answered back less than two minutes later to draw even 1-1. The Lakers then seized control the remainder of the first half as
Molly Meegan,
Emma Hubert,
Angelina Simon, and Netti each picked up an unassisted marker. ShyAnne Toomer netted the final goal of the half to trim the deficit to 5-2 at halftime. Hayley Pimentel cut it to 5-3 with 17-seconds gone in the second period and Emily Benham gave the Rock life at 5-4 with 17:51 left. Rescott and
Paige Cocina sandwhiched a Francesca Lindelow goal to cap the scoring at 7-5. Netti and Rescott combined for three goals and one assist.
Kaitlyn Lippert made six saves.
Last Time Out - LAKERS 19, Dragons 9 (3/7/20)
The Lakers stormed out to a 5-1 in the first 13-minutes of the contest as
Brenna Fosco (2), Hubert (2), and Meegan all netted goals. Elle Hamilton cashed in back-to-back markers 2:16 apart to trim things down to 5-3. However, Mercyhurst responded with a 5-2 charge to close the half with tallies from Hubert (3), Rescott and Cocina to take a 10-5 edge to the break. Daniela Carey and Hamilton brought the home side right back into the game making it 10-7 with still 28-minutes to go. The rest of the game belonged to the Lakers as they outscored the Dragons 9-2 down the stretch with markers from
Marissa Comerate,
Torie Sullivan,
Gina Perna, Rescott (4), and Netti resulting in the 19-9 final. Netti and Rescott joined up for 14 points (seven goals and seven assists), while Hubert and Fosco both bagged five points. Lippert turned aside seven shots in cage.
Scouting the Lakers (2-1, 0-0 PSAC West)
Stat Pack
Mercyhurst is outscoring their opponents 37-34 and are outshooting opposition 87-71 (68-54 on goal). The Lakers continue to have some problems with groundballs as their opponents have a 56-46 advantage. Mercyhurst was better with the ball against Tiffin and now hold a 48-55 edge in turnovers. The Lakers sit at a .830 clear percentage (44-53) and have steadily been improving over the season.
Free Position Struggles
After going 3-3 versus Walsh in their first contest, the Lakers converted 1-3 free position chances against Tiffin. On the season they are now 4-11 for a .364 conversion rate.
Draw Circle Control
Eight Lakers have won draw controls so far this year led by 14 from
Kira Kolb. Comerate and Meegan have combined for 13 victories, while Cocina (4) and Sullivan (3) are the other Mercyhurst players to win multiple times.
Mackenzie Murphy, Fosco and Netti have all grabbed one.
Balanced Attack
Netti and Fosco both have double-digit points with 15 and 10 respectively. As a duo they have combined for eight goals and 17 helpers. Rescott has earned all of her points with goals tallying nine times, while Hubert has followed suit just one less time posting eight.
Gina Perna has netted three goals.
Rachel Plumley,
Payton Cook, Cocina, Meegan, and Sullivan each have two points.
Between the Pipes
Lippert has made all three starts for the Lakers posting 18 saves and a .383 save percentage allowing 29 goals. Raelynn Tiberio appeared versus Walsh in relief making two stops, while surrendering five goals.
Preseason Poll
Mercyhurst enters the 2020 season as the No. 19 team in Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll after going 13-7 overall and 9-3 in the PSAC a season ago which ended in an NCAA Tournament First Round loss to East Stroudsburg University. This is the first season that the PSAC is going to break up into East and West divisions. In the West, the Lakers were picked to top it, followed by Seton Hill, Indiana (Pa.), Slippery Rock, Lock Haven, Gannon, and Edinboro. Out East, national runner-up West Chester is chosen to win, with East Stroudsburg, Millersville, Bloomsburg, Shippensburg, Kutztown, and Shepherd rounding it out.
Scouting the Rock (2-2, 0-0 PSAC West)
Slippery Rock arrives in Erie having split their opening four games of the season earning victories against Findlay and Tiffin, while falling to Georgian Court as well as Roberts Wesleyan. The Rock holds a slim 43-41 scoring edge over their competition, but are being outshot 102-96 (77-74 on goal). They are averaging 24 shots per game, while allowing 25.5 to the opponent. Their groundball game has been a little lacking as they have a -9 margin (97-88) and the Rock have also had an issue with turnovers coughing it up 102 times to the competition's 97. At the draw circle SRU has a slim 47-45 advantage. Three players have tallied double-digit points led by ShyAnne Toomer (13), Emily Benham (11) and Sami Gentzler (10). As a trio they have joined together for 21 goals and 13 assists. Katie Dlugosz falls just off the mark with nine points. Tori Penders, Francesca Lindelow, and Toomer all have double-digit draw victories. In cage Haley Barrett has made all four starts allowing 41 goals on 102 shots. She is posting a .10.54 goals against average and a .468 save percentage.
On Deck - PSAC West Play Continues
Mercyhurst will head to Greensburg, Pennsylvania for a matchup with Seton Hill University on Tuesday, March 17 at 4pm.
