Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Men's Soccer team had a statement win on Wednesday night as they defeated Slippery Rock 4-0 under the lights of Saxon Stadium.
How it Happened
The Lakers opened the game with a bang as Sidney Warden netted his first goal of the night, Warden took the beautiful pass from Dylan Sumner and made no mistake burying it into the far side of the net. The Lakers led 1-0 in just the 5th minute.
Mercyhurst extended their lead to two in the 12th minute as Tom Barry scored his third goal of the season. Barry took the pass from Nic Münch and took a shot from 30 yards out and beat the keeper just inside the left post.
In the 19th minute the Lakers made their lead three, Warden netted his second of the after Sumner played a long pass over the defenders. Warden timed it perfectly to stay onside and chipped it over the charging keeper to make it 3-0.
At halftime the Lakers were outshooting The Rock 8-3 and 7-2 in shots on goal.
In the 79th minute Warden completed the second Laker hat-trick of the season. Martin Grzywa took a free kick, the ball found Warden and he struck the ball off the bounce and put it into the top of the net for his third of the night.
Mercyhurst closed out the game outshooting Slippery Rock 16-5 and 11-3 in shots on goal.
Jonathan Gomes needed just three saves to pick up his third full clean sheet of the season.
Heating Up at The Right Time
Warden with his hat-trick tonight has taken over the team lead in goals and points. Barry has also scored in three of his last five games while Sumner notched points 14 and 15 tonight.
Only Three Spots
In the PSAC West just three teams will play in the PSAC tournament. With the win tonight, the Lakers sit in third with sole possession of it. Gannon has 13 points, Seton Hill 12, Mercyhurst eight, Slippery Rock six, Cal four, and UPJ zero. The Lakers play five more conference games over the next two and a half weeks.
Coach, Your Thoughts?
Head Coach Ryan Osborne was happy to bounce back after their tie with Gannon. "I am happy to get back in the win column tonight. It was exactly the response we needed after Saturday's disappointment." Osborne and his team know that every game is important down the stretch. "We are very happy with the clean sheet, that's something that we have worked on a lot. We look to now build on this momentum on Saturday against UPJ."
Up Next
The Lakers travel to UPJ for a 2:30 kickoff against the Mountain Cats.
