Erie, Pa – Mercyhurst Men's Soccer was ranked third in Super Region I and opens up NCAA DII Men's Soccer National Tournament with a match against sixth-ranked Post University. The Lakers are set to host the Eagles on Saturday, November 12th under the lights of Saxon Stadium at 6:00 p.m.
1. PSAC Champions
The Lakers come off a successful PSAC Tournament run, finishing with a win over Bloomsburg and the PSAC Championship. Mercyhurst won the game thanks to a great play by Jorge Tallada Torres, as he headed the ball inside the net, putting Mercyhurst in 1-0 lead in the 11th minute. The Lakers held on to the one-goal lead and delivered a win despite great pressure by the Huskies. Jonathan Gomes recorded a couple of great saves late in the game and prevented Bloomsburg from scoring on Mercyhurst's way to their first PSAC Championship since 2016 when the Lakers defeated Millersville in the final.
2. Individual Success
Sean Kerrigan has led the charge for the Lakers as he scored two more goals in the semifinal matchup against East Stroudsburg. He has netted 20 this season which is second in PSAC and NCAA and for his outstanding performance on offense he was selected to the PSAC West First-Team. Dylan Sumner leads the league in assists with 15 and he also has nine goals on the season while he is followed by Nic Münch with 11 assists and the same number of goals. They both were selected to the PSAC West First-Team while Sumner also received the PSAC West Athlete of the Year award. Julius Becker, Martin Grzywa, and Jonathan Gomes also made it to the First Team while Lockie Fay was the lone Laker on the Second Team.
3. History Lesson
The last time Mercyhurst made it to the NCAA Tournament was in the 2016 season when they lost to Urbana in the first round by a score of 2-0. In 2014 the Lakers made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament where they fell to Charleston after a low-scoring 1-0 match. During the 2013 campaign the Lakers reached even further as they made it all the way to the NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals and lost to Southern New Hampshire University in the penalty shootout. This Mercyhurst squad is looking to continue their historic season and make a deep run in the tournament this year and hopefully bring the program it's first title.
4. Team Success In Numbers
The Lakers have won 19 games so far and scored 74 goals this season with 57 of them assisted. Thanks to their great defense, they have only allowed their opponents to score four goals. The Lakers average 18 shots per game with 50% of them on target and do a good job capitalizing on scoring opportunities. The team's hard work and dedication have been appreciated as the Lakers placed second in the national ranking by the United Soccer Coaches Association, and third in the regional ranking by the NCAA.
5. Scouting The Opponents
Post University is coming into the NCAA Tournament with 15 wins under their belt along with three losses and two ties. They recently won the CACC Championship, after defeating Alliance University 3-1. The Eagles are led by Gentian Selimi with seven goals and five assists, as he is helped by Francisco Sousa with six goals and the same number of assists. Post has some size in the goal as their main goalkeeper Soren Jensen is 6'6 and recorded 31 saves in 12 games played this season. The Eagles scored 47 goals this season and allowed 13, as they average 15 shots per game with 47% of them on target. Post looks to use their team-oriented offense on Saturday, November 12th to defeat the Lakers.
