ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst women's lacrosse team will try and secure the No. 2 seed on the West side of the upcoming Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament when they wrap up the 2021 regular with a rematch against the Crimson Hawks of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday afternoon at Saxon Stadium.
Playing for a Cause
The Mercyhurst players will each be wearing something red as they pay tribute to Lakers men's lacrosse player Ryan Scoble who is currently in a Cleveland hospital awaiting a heart transplant. The Lakers will dedicate the game to Ryan and his family, and hope that their small gesture will raise awareness to heart health.
Game Information
Opponents – IUP Crimson Hawks
Date - Wednesday, April 28
Time - 4:00 pm
Location – Erie, Pa. (Saxon Stadium)
Series History – Lakers lead, 22-4 / Last Lakers Win: 20-15 on 3/19/19 (away) / Last IUP Win: 11-6 on 4/3/21 (home).
Fan Statement – Limited Mercyhurst fans will be allowed at Saxon Stadium. See fan policy here.
Live Stats
Watch
First Meeting – IUP 11, LAKERS 6 (4/3/21)
Mercyhurst started the game extremely slow as
Molly Meegan provided the Lakers only offense through the first 29-minutes of the contest as the home team jumped out to a 6-1 lead.
Julia Ruscio would add her first of three on the day with 14-seconds remaining in half number one to head to the breakdown 6-2. IUP came out of the rest firing on all cylinders as they tallied two more times, before Ruscio buried her second cutting it to 8-3. Both teams would score three more times with
Gabby McGinn and
Sarah Kaska joining Ruscio on the scoresheet, but it was not enough as the Hawks held on for the 11-6 win.
Scouting the Lakers (8-3, 6-3 PSAC West)
Dynamic Duo
Rescott and Ruscio continued to add to their offensive numbers over the weekend as they combined for three more goals raising the joint point production to 56 on the season. Rescott paces the side in scoring the ball with 27 markers on the season, while Ruscio is not too far behind tallying 24 times for the campaign. They have also chipped in five assists as a duo.
Balanced Offense
The Lakers had four different players notch two goals in the 11-7 win at Lock Haven on Saturday afternoon as
Paige Cocina,
Payton Cook, McGinn and Rescott combined for eight goals.
Victoria Gottorff, Meegan and Ruscio each hit the net once as well.
Givin' McGinn
Coming off a one-point game at Seton Hill a week ago, McGinn regained her scoring touch against the Bald Eagles recording five points on two goals and three helpers. Last time out versus IUP, Gabby was kept relatively quiet only picking up a single goal on four shots. McGinn continues to build on a strong rookie campaign as her 40 points continue to be tops on the team. Her 29 assists leads the PSAC and puts her 14th in the country, while the 2.64 assists per game is good for 14th nationally as well as second in the conference.
Guardians of the Net
Kaitlyn Lippert remained busy in cage on Saturday as she posted her fourth consecutive double-digit save game and her seventh of the year by making 11 stops in the win. In 600:00 minutes played this year she has a 9.62 goals against average with a .534 save percentage on 110 saves. Last time out versus the Crimson Hawks earlier this month she turned aside nine of 24 attempts that came her way.
Raelyn Tiberio picked up the other win in cage this season for the Green and Blue making eight stops in the 18-7 victory over D'Youville on March 14th.
Not Letting Things Come Easy
Mercyhurst held the edge in the clearing game on Saturday going 16-20, while limiting Lock Haven to a mark of 14-20. On the season, Mercyhurst is 182-215 for an .847 percentage with their opponents completing 169 of 227 clears (.744).
Draw Controls by Committee
Mercyhurst won the battle at the circle 11-9 on Saturday. Ruscio led the way with six victories, while
Mackenzie Murphy and Comerate each nabbed two, followed by Meegan with one. Last time against IUP the Green and Blue claimed 13 of 19 draws paced by seven wins for Ruscio.
Stephanie VanRiper, Cocina, Comerate and Meegan combined for the other six.
Stat Pack
As a team they have recorded 342 shots with 265 of them going on goal for a .775 shots on goal percentage. They have scooped up 197 ground balls and forced 105 of their opponents 184 turnovers.
NCAA Ranks (as of 4/22)
Lippert ranks inside the Top-20 in total saves (15
th – 110), ground balls per game (18
th – 3.40), saves per game (14
th – 11.00) and save percentage (9
th - .534).
In The Nest (3-5, 3-4 PSAC West)
The Crimson Hawks arrive at Saxon Stadium winners of two straight against Gannon by scores of 17-12 at home and 12-8 in Erie on Monday night. The IUP offensive flame is stoked by points leader Jordan Kulp with 40 on 17 goals and 23 assists. Kayte Zeiler paces the attack with 25 goals, while Leah Hunter, Chantal Jimenez and Sarah Reustle have each added over ten tallies as well. Mercyhurst will have to contend with the Hawks two-headed monster at the circle as Jimenez and Reustle have won 49 and 40 controls respectively. Leading the pursuit of ground balls is Shannon Reape who has retrieved 24, with Jimenez and Reustle combining for 44 pick-ups. Lauren Piecknick has made seven starts between the pipes for IUP posting an 11.35 goals against average to go along with a .503 save percentage. She has recorded 81 stops on 212 shots faced. Brenna Gallagher is a the head of Crimson Hawks nest for the third season.
Postseason Push
The Lakers have secured a spot in the upcoming PSAC Touranment and with a win will host the 2v3 matchup on Saturday night at 7pm. A loss would not eliminate that possibility, but Mercyhurst would then have to await the winner of Thursday's showdown between IUP and Lock Haven. The winner of that game would visit top seed Seton Hill on Wednesday May 5th.
The PSAC Tournament will consist of the top three teams in each division with the top seed getting a bye, while the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in each division will play each other on the first day.
On Deck
The Lakers will have a PSAC Tournament first-round game on Saturday at a location and time to be determined.
