ERIE, Pa. - The No. 22 Mercyhurst women's lacrosse will take to their home turf for the first time in over a year when they take part in a unique non-conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon when they play two games one each against Walsh University and D'Youville College.
Game Information
Opponents - Walsh University Cavaliers and D'Youville College Saints
Date - Sunday, March 14
Time - 12:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Location - Erie, Pa. (Saxon Stadium)
Series History vs Walsh - Hurst leads, 1-0 / Last Lakers Win: 16-6 on 2/22/20 (away) / Last Cavaliers Win: N/A
Series History vs D'Youville - First ever matchup with the Saints.
Fan Statement - Fans will not be allowed at Saxon Stadium
Live Stats
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Scouting the Lakers (1-0, 1-0 PSAC)
Preseason Poll
Mercyhurst comes into this season as the favorite in the PSAC West after posting a 3-1 start to the 2020 campaign, before it was stopped. The Lakers nabbed five of the seven available first-place votes to claim the top spot. They were followed by Seton Hill and Indiana (Pa.) who each earned a first-place selection. The rest of the west division in order went Lock Haven, Slippery Rock, Gannon and Edinboro. On the other side the of the state the fifth-ranked team in the land West Chester took four first-place votes with the other three going to No. 10 East Stroudsburg. That duo was followed by Bloomsburg, Millersville, Shippensburg, Kutztown and Shepherd.
Schedule Outlook
Due to ongoing pandemic the Lakers are limited to just two non-conference games which will both take place on the same day, Sunday, March 14 beginning at 12pm when they take on Walsh, before squaring off with D'Youville. The rest of the 2021 slate is made up of nothing but PSAC West opposition as they play Edinboro, Gannon, IUP, Lock Haven, Seton Hill and Slippery Rock two times each. The top three seeds in each division will advance to the PSAC Tournament with the semi-finals and final taking place at the highest remaining seed in the East.
Balanced Offense
The Lakers showcased major scoring depth in their opener against Gannon as nine different players recorded goals.
Paige Cocina,
Sarah Kaska and
Julia Ruscio each picked up a hat trick, while
Payton Cook and
Victoria Gottorff both buried two.
Lauren Cain,
Meghan Nasman,
Julia Rescott and
Torie Sullivan also added one apiece.
Free-Position Success
Mercyhurst went 2-5 on free-position attempts on Thursday with Cain and Nasman cashing in, while
Alexa Perna, Cocina and Ruscio each went 0-1 but will seek to improve on that throughout the season.
Barely Tested
Goalie
Kaitlyn Lippert saw little action in the season opener as Gannon only mustered 12 shots (8 on goal), which forced her to make five saves on the afternoon.
Not Letting Things Come Easy
The Green and Blue made life miserable for the Knights on Thursday allowing them to convert on just 12 of their 21 clearing attempts and caused Gannon to commit 21 miscues.
Draw Controls by Committee
The Lakers had five players earn draw control victories in the season opener with freshman
Grace Gajan winning a team-high four, followed by Cook and Sullivan who each won three.
Marissa Comerate added two and Cocina chipped in one. Mercyhurst held the advantage on the circle 14-7 on the day.
Stat Pack
As a team they recorded 39 shots with 34 of them going on goal for an .872 shots on goal percentage. The scooped up 18 groundballs and caused seven of the 21 Golden Knights turnovers. Mercyhurst also went an impressive 17-19 on their clear attempts.
Scouting the Cavaliers (1-1, 0-0 G-MAC)
Walsh enters Sunday's contest with a current record of 1-1 thanks to a 15-10 loss to Roberts Wesleyan and a 19-7 victory over University of Charleston. Hannah McFeeters and Kendra Cowen-Tripp each have six goals on a combined 22 shots on goal. Ellen Lawrence and Melinda Maers have joined together for 11 points on seven goals along with four helpers. The Lakers will have to keep Halle Kotulock and Kathleen Mendenhall away from loose balls as they lead the Cavs in groundballs with eight and five respectively. McFeeters leads the way in the circle with eight wins, while between the pipes Mendenhall has posted a 11.57 goals against average and a .290 save percentage. As a team they average 14.5 goals and 31.5 shots per game, while going 32-40 on clears. Matt Shields is in his third season at the head of the Cavaliers charge.
Scouting the Saints (0-1, 0-0 ECC)
D'Youville is in their first season at the Division II level after moving up from Division III. They currently sit at 0-1 after suffering a 16-4 setback to Rochester. Isabella Lucania and Riley Riedel provided all the Saints offense by notching two goals each. That duo also combined for ten draw control wins. On the defensive side of the ball Hannah Wilson and Amanda Waliszewski scooped up four groundballs apiece. In cage Wilson recorded six saves allowing 16 goals on 25 shots (22 on goal). As a team D'Youville fired 14 shots (12 on target) for an .857 shots on goal percentage. They went 2-6 on free-position attempts and 12-15 in clears. Kate Mayhook is in her sixth season as head coach at D'Youville.
On Deck
The Lakers head back out on the road for PSAC West contest against Slippery Rock University on Wednesday, March 17th at 4pm.
