Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Field Hockey opens up the month of November with a pair of tough matchups as they are set to host #9 Mansfield Tuesday, November 1st, before hitting the road for a contest in East Stroudsburg, Pa. against the #2 ranked Warriors on Saturday at noon.
1. Close Calls
The Lakers have been playing some inspiring games of late with them able to hang right in there against tough competition. Mercyhurst had two games last week that ended up going down to the wire with them losing 2-1 to Slippery Rock on Wednesday, October 26th, in a shootout before falling to #4 Kutztown 2-1 on Saturday. Mercyhurst has dealt with a rugged schedule to this point and all that experience seems to be paying off as they advance to the later stages of the season.
2. Finding a Rhythm
After going four games without a goal, the Lakers have been able to find the back of the cage in back-to-back games. The first of their two goals came courtesy of Maddie Huffer who scored the lone Laker goal of the Slippery Rock game while Elizabeth Jackson got it done on offense for Mercyhurst when playing the Golden Bears. The Lakers have scored in back-to-back games for the first time this season and hope that is a sign that their offense is coming alive.
3. Desormeau Dazzles
Kayla Desormeau continues to be one of the top goalkeepers in the nation with her being one of the leaders in several categories in both the PSAC and in all of the NCAA. She has accumulated 153 saves on the year with an average of 10.93 per game while holding a save percentage of .823. Her total saves and saves per game numbers are first in both the PSAC and country while her .823 save percentage ranks third in the conference and fourth in the NCAA.
4. Scouting the Opponents
Mansfield comes into the new month 7-8 after suffering a loss to Bloomsburg last Wednesday by a score of 2-1 at home. The Mountaineers currently sit tied for eighth in the conference with Slippery Rock with a record of 1-5 while their lone win came against the Rock by a score of 5-0 on October 12th. Alex Esterling is the team's top goal scorer with a dozen on the year with Kennedy Stoup following with seven.
ESU holds a record of 13-1 on the year with their lone loss coming at the hands of Shippensburg on October 1st by a count of 1-0. The Warrior's defense has been stout with them allowing just five goals all season. Amy Supey has been in the cage for the majority of their games and has allowed only four goals for first in the PSAC with her .882 save percentage being first in the conference as well.
5. What's Next
The Lakers have one more game left on their schedule for the 2022 regular season with it looking like a tough one. Their slough through the tough PSAC comes to an end on Saturday, November 12th, when the team hosts currently ranked #1 Shippensburg at 1:00 p.m.
