Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Women's Soccer team looks to bounce back with two PSAC West games this week. The Lakers host Clarion on Wednesday and IUP on Saturday.
The Matchups
Clarion and Mercyhurst have been playing each other since 2003. The Lakers hold a 12-2-4 record all-time against the Golden Eagles. Mercyhurst has won the last three games and are 6-1-3 in the last 10 games.
IUP and the Lakers have a long history that dates back to 1987, Mercyhurst won the first nine games of the series. All-time the Lakers are 14-9-3 against the Crimson Hawks. Mercyhurst won the last match by a score of 5-0 in 2019.
Leading the Way
Karah Van Horn leads the team with three goals in her first collegiate season. Emily Mijares, Lauren Casey, and Amata Valentini each have one goal this season.
Maddie Elbro has done her best impression of a brick wall this season. Elbro has made 35 saves through the first seven games of her collegiate career. She has also earned three clean sheets and has seen 62 shots this season.
Bounce Back Time
The Lakers entered Saturday on a three game point streak after tying Gannon, and beating Slippery Rock and UPJ. On Saturday, Mercyhurst generated a season high 24 shots while allowing a season low three but Seton Hill netted one goal for the 1-0 win.
Let's Look at the Table
Slippery Rock sits atop the table with 15 points, they are followed by Edinboro and Gannon. The Lakers are tied for fourth with seven points, IUP and Clarion also have seven points. The Lakers have 11 PSAC West games remaining with up to 33 points that can be earned.
Scouting Clarion
The Golden Eagles are led by former Mercyhurst Assistant Coach Alexa Ream. Ream's squad is 2-2-1 this season with wins over Cal (PA) and UPJ. Kylee Cross leads the team in goals and points with two goals and seven total points. Alayna Wicker has two goals while Abby Sullivan is the only other Golden Eagle to score this season. Alexandra Valez has started all five games in net and has made 27 saves on 39 shots on goal.
Scouting IUP
IUP started their season with back-to-back wins against West Virginia Wesleyan and Cal (PA). Since then the Crimson Hawks have gone 1-2-1 with their lone win coming against UPJ. The Crimson Hawks take on Seton Hill on Wednesday prior to taking on Mercyhurst. Hannah Scardina has five goals to lead IUP while also adding two assists. Four different goalies have seen time in net for IUP, Samantha Gildner has started in all six games and has played 515 minutes.
Up Next
The Lakers go on the road for two games against Cal (PA) and Edinboro on Oct. 6 and Oct. 8.
