Erie, Pa. - After climbing two spots in the most recent United Soccer Coaches ranking, Mercyhurst added two more wins to their ledger as they now sit at 15-0-1 while claiming their second PSAC West title in a row. The team's most recent win came against the Mountain Cats on Saturday in a 5-0 win to give them their 11th straight win via the shutout.
How it Happened
Mercyhurst did not waste any time grabbing the lead with a goal in the third minute of the game. It was sophomore Frank Lovett on the goal, getting his first of the season, to put the Lakers ahead. Nic Münch won the ball at midfield before sending it up the middle of the field where Lovett played it off his left foot before dribbling past the goalie for the score.
The Lakers did not slow down after firing the opening salvo with them scoring four more in the first half. The second of the canto came courtesy of Sean Kerrigan with his 15th score of the year. It was Lockie Fay on the other end with him finding the streaking Kerrigan with the Lakers going ahead 2-0 in the 20th minute.
Mercyhurst scored just two minutes later as Lovett got his second score of the first half to put Mercyhurst up 3-0. A Laker corner kick caused some chaos in front of the goal and the sophomore took full advantage. UPJ's goalie managed to get a finger on the ball from Lovett, but it wasn't enough as Mercyhurst continued to build out their lead. The Lakers then made it a third goal in four minutes with Kerrigan getting his second of the first half as well while Münch picked up assist number two of the stanza to go up 4-0 before Erik Cederberg made it 5-0 going into the half.
The second half proved to be a historic one for the Lakers as they continued to add on. Frank Lovett opened up the second half scoring for Mercyhurst for his third of the game while Sean Kerrigan followed to make it a 7-0 game for his third score also. The pair of Lakers became the first duo in program history to have a hat trick in the same game while Kerrigan became the first player to have two hat tricks in a week with three goals against Seton Hill on Wednesday as well.
The Lakers continued to add on with Riley Kutschbach scoring for his first collegiate goal as well, joining Lovett, to make it an 8-0 game. Kutschbach then added his second goal of the game a few minutes later with Mercyhurst adding on for a 9-0 lead. Riley then added his own piece of history to the game with a third goal off of a penalty to give Kutschbach a hat trick in one half, the first in program history.
By the Numbers
The Lakers finished with double-digit goals for the first time since Oct. 26, 2019 when they did so against UPJ, defeating them 11-1. Three Mercyhurst players tallied hat tricks to give the Lakers their first-ever instance of multiple players scoring three goals in a game. The Lakers fired off 21 shots in the game with 15 on goal against UPJ's five shots with four on goal. Mercyhurst also led in corner kicks with a dozen while the Mountain Cats mustered seven.
Where they Stand
With today's game, the Lakers move to 15-0-1 on the year overall and 8-0 in conference, clinching the 2022 PSAC West regular season title. The Lakers grab their second title in as many years and their third in the past seven as they once again prove to be the cream of the crop in the PSAC.
What's Next
The Lakers have two more games on their schedule with Gannon set to come to the Saxon Stadium Wednesday, Oct. 26th at 7:30 p.m. with their final game of the regular season on Saturday against Slippery Rock on the road.
