Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Field Hockey team comes home this weekend after playing their first PSAC game on the road at Bloomsburg. The Lakers host No. 4 Millersville for their first PSAC home game of the season. On Tuesday, they go on the road to face IUP.
1. All-Time vs 'Ville
The Lakers and Marauders have played 23 times in program history with Millersville holding a 18-4 record. Mercyhurst won their first game against Millersville in 2001 with a 3-2 overtime win. Their last win came in 2007 when they beat the Marauders 2-1 in overtime. The teams played last season at Millersville with the Marauders winning 6-0, Kayla Desormeau made 21 saves in the game.
2. Long Time No See
Mercyhurst had a full six days off in between games after played Bloomsburg last Saturday. The Lakers fell in that game by a score of 2-0 while Desormeau made 10 saves and Jenna Cavalieri, Allyson Doran, and Delfina Magro all tallied shots on goal. The Lakers have two wins on the season including a 4-3 win over Wingate less than two weeks ago. Four different players scored in that game for the Lakers including Magro and Maddie Huffer who scored their first career goals.
3. Brick Wall or Kayla
Desormeau has played in all of the Laker games and has accounted for all but 30 minutes in net for the Lakers. She has made 73 saves this season which is second in the PSAC and sixth in the country. She is also third in the nation in saves per game with 8.11 which leads the PSAC. In her career she has made 275 saves in under two full seasons and has a save percentage of .764. This season she is also 4-4 in penalty strokes.
4. Scouting The Opponents
Millersville is coming off their biggest win of the season as they defeated top ranked West Chester on Wednesday by a score of 2-1. 'Ville has a 9-1 record which includes wins over four top 10 opponents, their only loss of the season came on Sunday to Frostburg State. Kate Strickland is the leading scorer and point getter for the Marauders this season as she has scored 12 goals and has 25 total points. In goal Kerstin Koons has gotten the start in all 10 games and has a .697 save percentage and a 1.08 goals against average.
IUP has a 6-3 record heading into the weekend which includes an early season non-conference win over Mercyhurst. In conference play they are 1-1 this season after falling to West Chester and beating Mansfield. On Saturday they face Bloomsburg before returning home to host the Lakers. Jess Davidson leads the Crimson Hawks in goals (7) and points (12). Amanda Zaner has played in nine games in net and has a .717 save percentage and a 1.57 goals against average.
5. A Look Ahead
This is just the second game of PSAC play for the Lakers on Saturday before they go back on the road on Tuesday to face IUP. Mercyhurst then plays West Chester on the road next Saturday.
