Erie, Pa. – Second-ranked Mercyhurst Men's Soccer stays undefeated as they dominate their cross-town rival Gannon in the Wednesday matchup. The Lakers won the game by a score of 2-0 and moved on to 16-0-1 on the year.
How It Happened
The Lakers came out of the locker room determined and full of energy as they kept pushing the ball forward straight from the kick-off. They needed just 30 seconds of clock to score the ball, as Frank Lovett received a great pass from Sean Kerrigan and put it in the net for Lovett's fourth goal of the season after recording a hat-trick last Saturday.
Mercyhurst kept applying pressure on their rival. In the 11th minute of the match Nic Münch tried his luck, but his kick was saved by the Gannon's goalkeeper. A couple of minutes later Martin Grzywa took a shot but missed it high.
The Lakers did a great job on defense, as the Golden Knights rarely got close to Mercyhurst's goal. They only took two shots throughout the first half whereas the Lakers took ten and went into the break with one goal lead.
The second half of the match was very similar as the Lakers only needed three minutes to extend the lead. Kerrigan beat his defenders with a nice move to the right and took a spectacular shot to the right. Gannon's goalkeeper had no chance to reach it and Kerrigan recorded his 18th goal of the season.
The Lakers tried couple more times but couldn't capitalize. Riley Kutschbach tried his luck in 83rd minute of the match, but his shot was saved. Mercyhurst held on to the comfortable lead and won the game by a score of 2-0.
By The Numbers
The Lakers dominated their opponents on both sides of the pitch. The Lakers took 15 shots with nine of them on target; their opponent took seven and only two of them on the goal. Mercyhurst drew five corner kicks and Gannon had three. Jonathan Gomes finished the game with another clean sheet for the season — his 14th.
Where they Stand
With today's game, the Lakers move to 16-0-1 on the year overall and 9-0 in conference. Mercyhurst has already clinched the 2022 PSAC West regular season title last Saturday, as they defeated UPJ by a score of 10-0. 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. They are also ranked second in the country and third in their super region per the NCAA.
What's Next
The Lakers are scheduled to finish the regular season on Saturday, October 29th as they take on Slippery Rock on the road.
