Erie, PA – Mercyhurst Women's Soccer prepares for the final game of the regular season as they are scheduled to take on Gannon on Wednesday, October 26th.
1. What's At Stake
Gannon has held on to the top spot in PSAC West standings so far as they boast a conference record of 9-1-4 and have two games remaining in the season. They are followed by Mercyhurst with an 8-3-4 record and only one match left. Seton Hill sits at the third spot with 6-2-6 record while Slippery Rock is fourth at 5-3-7. The Wednesday matchup with the Lady Knights is a must-win for the Lakers if they want to keep their hopes of first place in PSAC West alive. Gannon also plays UPJ on Saturday, October 29th, and the Mountain Cats need to win that game for Mercyhurst to have a chance to get the top spot.
2. Individual Leaders
Karah Van Horn leads the Lakers on the offensive side of the pitch with seven goals this season and she is helped by Emily Mijares and Lauren Casey with three goals each. Teagan Mehalko and Taryn Baxter also take a big part in the team's success as they both have two goals and two assists on the season. Ten players scored a goal for the Lakers this season, which is a testament to the team-oriented brand of soccer they play and Mercyhurst looks to use that well-balanced attack to claim an advantage over the Lady Knights on Wednesday. Maddie Elbro has saved 56 shots in 17 games played, allowing only 12 goals all year.
3. Team Success
The Lakers come in this week with a 9-4-4 overall record. In 17 games played so far by the Lakers, they have scored 24 goals and allowed only 12. Mercyhurst plays with great effort and averages 14 shots per game with 57% of them on target. They have also drawn 116 corner kicks and turned many of them into scoring opportunities. The Lakers had some trouble capitalizing on their scoring opportunities last week but are looking to change that this week.
4. History Lesson
Mercyhurst fell to Gannon in their last matchup on September 21st, in an action-pack match where both teams scored within the first five minutes. Emilie Halard beat Elbro in the second minute with a nice header of the corner kick while Van Horn answered three minutes later. The sophomore broke free from her Lady Knight defender as a ball in the box from Teagan Mehalko found Van Horn's foot for the goal. Gannon managed to score again in the second half and took home the win.
5. Scouting The Opponents
Gannon comes out of a successful week as they defeated Cal (Pa.) by a score of 3-1. Sarah Fails leads the charge for Gannon with nine goals and four assists. She is helped by Ella Fadale with four goals, and Gabby Boden, scorer of three. The Lady Knights are well-balanced team with a lot of experience on the field and will be determined to seal the top spot in PSAC West on Wednesday.
