Erie, Pa.—On Monday, the NCAA announced the teams that have been selected to play in the regional tournaments. The Mercyhurst Women's Soccer team were one of the teams selected to play in the Atlantic Regional. They take on Concord in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Matchup
The Lakers and Mountain Lions and played just four times with the first time being in 1998. Mercyhurst is 3-1 against Concord all-time and have outscored the Mountain Lions 19-3 in those four games.
It's a Brand New Season
The Lakers were eliminated in the PSAC Semi-Finals on Friday as they fell to Bloomsburg. However, the Lakers were one of five teams to get an at-large bid. Concord and Bloomsburg were the two lone teams that earned automatic bids due to winning their conference tournaments.
Mercyhurst will make just their second NCAA appearance since 2008. In 2008, the Lakers went to the NCAA Quarterfinals before falling to Saint Rose 3-2. In that NCAA Tournament, the Lakers defeated Slippery Rock in the first round and then West Chester in the second round.
By The Numbers
Emily Mijares leads the Lakers with 14 goals and 31 points, last week she was named PSAC West Athlete and Rookie of the Year.
Karah Van Horn is second on the team in points with 13 while having netted five goals and adding three assists.
Maddie Elbro has played every minute in net for the Lakers and has a .68 goals against average and a .829 save percentage. She was named PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the CoSIDA All-District team.
NCAA History
The Lakers have played 16 NCAA Tournament games with the first one being in 1988. Mercyhurst is 5-11 all-time in the tournament. This will be the 12th appearance for the Lakers, the other appearances came in 1991, '93, '94, '95, '99, 2000, '01, '06, '07, and '08. The Lakers earned their first win in 1999 over Ashland in the first round. Mercyhurst made their longest run in 2008 making it to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Scouring Concord
The Mountain Lions are 17-0-3 this season while they went on to win the MEC Conference Championship. Their three ties came against West Virginia State, Fairmount State and West Virginia Wesleyan. Yasmin Mosby leads the team in goals and points as she has scored 21 goals this season while having 45 total points. Leah Foster sits in second with 12 goals and 10 assists. Leah Marsh has played in all 20 games in net and has allowed just nine goals while having a .859 save percentage and a .44 goals against average.
Up Next
If the Lakers defeat Concord they will play the winner of Bloomsburg and Gannon on Saturday at 3:00 PM.
