Indiana, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Women's Soccer team extended their winning streak to five with a 2-0 win over IUP on Wednesday.
How it Happened
The Lakers and Crimson Hawks couldn't find the net in opening 45, however shots were 7-2 in favor of Mercyhurst while five of their shots found the goal. IUP did not record a shot on goal.
In the 50th minute the Lakers broke the tie. Dani Hartman scored her first collegiate goal off a corner kick that was taken by Madison Hoover. Hartman was left unguarded and headed it past the keeper to give Mercyhurst the lead.
Just a couple minutes later in the 52nd minute the Lakers took the two goal lead off another corner kick. Hoover crossed the ball to the near post and Amber Thomas was there to score the second Laker goal of the day.
After gaining the two goal lead, the Lakers played excellent defense and allowed just two shots in the second half. Maddie Elbro made her lone save in the 53rd minute but did not see any more shots after that.
The Lakers finished with 15 shots while IUP had just four. Mercyhurst put 11 shots on goal and held IUP to just one.
One Game Left
The Lakers have just one game remaining in the regular season and it is an important one. Mercyhurst will win the PSAC West Regular Season Championship with a win over Cal (Pa.). The Lakers could finish with the same amount of points as Slippery Rock but since the Lakers swept the Rock earlier this year, they hold the tie-breaker. If the Lakers lose, they could fall to the third seed depending the results of Gannon's and Slippery Rock's matches.
National Attention
Prior to today's game, the NCAA released their second regional rankings. For the second week in a row the Lakers saw their name on the list. Mercyhurst now ranks seventh in the Atlantic Region.
Coach's Corner
Head Coach Jon Arlet is happy with his team's performance tonight. "I'm proud of our side tonight. I felt as though we were professional in our approach and organization throughout." Arlet knew the conditions weren't going to be great but his proud of how his team adapted. "The surface certainly made it difficult to execute at times but I'm proud of the way we made sense of our set pieces. Both goals were fantastic services by Maddie Hoover and I'm proud of Dani Hartman on scoring a really good header as her first collegiate goal and Amber for providing some security." The Lakers earned their seventh clean sheet and their third in row on Wednesday. "Our defense- Maddie, Beth, Taryn, Fern and Syd deserve a lot of credit as their organization was stellar. We are excited for senior day at home on Saturday!' Arlet said.
Up Next
The Lakers close out the regular season against Cal on Saturday, the Lakers will honor their seniors pre-game.
