Erie Pa. - Mercyhurst Field Hockey gears up for another week of action with a pair of PSAC matchups on the docket. The Lakers begin their week going to Slippery Rock on Wednesday, October 26th, before hosting Kutztown on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Mercyhurst was challenged last week with a pair of tough games as their march through the PSAC continued. They began the week with the IUP Crimson Hawks on Tuesday, October 18th, in a game that saw the Crimson Hawks come away with the win by a final of 3-0. After that, The Lakers stayed on the road as they made the trip to West Chester to face off with the #1 Golden Rams where West Chester got the better of Mercyhurst in that one by a score of 6-0.

2. Desormeau Keeps Going

Kayla Desormeau continues to be one of the better goalkeepers in the league as she has now surpassed 100 saves for the season, sitting at 128 on the year which is first in the PSAC by 39 saves and comes in at first in the NCAA. The sophomore from north of the border has played 689 minutes this season while allowing 2.61 goals per game and averages over 10 saves per game. The native of Waterloo, Ontario put together a solid season last year and is well on her way to another here in 2022.

3. Senior Stars

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association named their teams for the 2022 NCAA DII Senior Game this past week with three Lakers finding their way onto the list. Jillian Blas was mentioned as a member of the senior team while Katie Goodenow and Sarah Vosburgh were named as alternates. The trio has the chance to play in the game which is being held in Renton, Washington in conjunction with the NAA DII Field Hockey Championships and is being played on December 2nd at 3:00 PST.

4. Scouting The Opponents

Slippery Rock comes into the matchup 6-6 on the year with them dropping an away game to Millersville last week 6-2. The Rock is a well-balanced team that does not rely on any one player to get all the work done with three players (Leslie Colliver, Bailee Christman, and Erin Roland) all tied for the lead in goals with five apiece. Slippery Rock's defense has been willing to give up goals with them averaging the most goals allowed in the PSAC at 3.00 per game.

The Golden Bears are 12-2 on the year and 4-1 in the PSAC while riding a six-game win streak. Kutztown's offense is a bit more focused as Rachel Dusman leads the team with 13 goals while Olivia Blasone and Erin Gonzalez are tied for second with seven. Sarah Gatehouse has been the facilitator of the team with her leading the way with 10 assists while Dusman is second with seven. The Golden Bears have been a very solid defensive team as well with .93 goals allowed per game which is third in the conference. 

5. What's Next

The Lakers have three more games on their schedule with two of them next week. The first is against Mansfield on Tuesday, November 1st, at 2:00 p.m. with a matchup against East Stroudsburg to follow on Saturday, November 5th, at noon.