Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Field Hockey did not get the new week started the way they had hoped as they dropped their first game of the week at home. The Lakers hosted #9 Mansfield in a game that ended up being a close one as the Mountaineers won by a final score of 1-0.

How it Happened

The first quarter proved to be a close one with the teams going into the break tied at 0-0. Mansfield was the more aggressive team on offense with them able to gain the advantage in shots, firing off five to the Laker's one. That aggressiveness did not end up helping them gain an advantage, though, as only three of their shots ended up being on target while Mercyhurst goalkeeper Kayla Desormeau saved them all. The lone shot of the period for Mercyhurst came courtesy of Maddie Huffer at the 5:22 mark of the frame, but it was saved by the Mountaineer keeper.

It was more of the same in the second period with neither team able to find the back of the cage as the score held at 0-0 as the buzzer sounded for halftime. The Mountaineers once again had the lead in shots in the canto with four to Mercyhurst's zero. It was a heated second period with the Lakers showing some fight on their way to two green cards in the frame. Their aggressiveness helped slow down their opponents and keep a top-10 opponent off the board in the first 30 minutes.

Mansfield made the right adjustments coming out of the halftime break and they showed up very quickly with the team able to score in the first minute of the second half. Olivia Wagner ended up being the goal scorer for the Mountaineers with Kennedy Stroup giving her a good feed near the cage that she did not miss, making it a 1-0 game with 14:02 remaining in the third period.

The rest third quarter went by with little action, but the same could not be said about the final frame. Mercyhurst fought hard to try and pull off the comeback. They made some good runs down the field toward their counterpart's cage, resulting in some good scoring chances and a trio of corners. However, none of their attempts yielded positive results as the Lakers remained scoreless as the final horn went off.

By the Numbers

Mansfield finished with the lead in shots for the game 16-1 while the teams came out even in corners as both had five. Kayla Desormeau added to her already impressive season as she collected nine saves to give her 162 saves on the year, extending her lead in the nation.

What's Next

The Lakers play one more game this week with them set to hit the road on Saturday, November 5th, in a contest at East Stroudsburg set for noon.