Erie, Pa.—The Mercyhurst Men's Soccer team opens their 2022 season on the road for a pair of non-conference games against Goldey-Beacom and Georgian Court.
1. Taking a Trip Out East
The Lakers play in Wilmington, DE on Friday before traveling up the coast to play in Lakewood, N.J. This is just the second time in program history that the Lakers have played against Goldey-Beacom. In the first matchup in 2018 the Lakers won 2-1 on the home turf to notch their first home win of the season.
The matchup with Georgian Court is the first time that the two teams have ever met. Playing out of the CACC the Lions don't have any other PSAC teams on their regular season schedule for 2022. The Lions last played a PSAC team in the 2019 regular season as they fell to West Chester 2-1.
2. Need a Fast Start
Last season the Lakers went 12-4-2 overall and 7-1-2 in conference play. After dropping their first two games of the season a year ago the Lakers went on a four game winning streak and got at least a point in 14 of their final 15 games of the season. This season the Lakers start the season with seven straight non-conference games before opening PSAC West play on Sept. 17 against Cal (PA).
3. A Lot Coming Back
Three of the top five scorers for the Lakers last season return to the green and white this season. Dylan Sumner is the top scorer returning, he scored seven times last season while adding six assists for a total of 20 points. Nic Munch also returns after making 18 starts in his first season with the Lakers. He scored four goals last season and added seven assists as a freshman. Sean Kerrigan and Tom Barry also both return after being key contributors a season ago. Jonathan Gomes returns in net for the Lakers after playing all but 45 minutes last year in his first season at Mercyhurst.
4. New Season, New Faces
Head Coach Ryan Osborne has brought in 17 new faces for the Lakers which includes four players who have at least a year of collegiate soccer under their belts. Frank Lovett, Guilherme De Lima Cunha, Jorge, Tallada Torres, and Lockie Fay have all played a year of college soccer and look to contribute this season.
5. Scouting the Opponents
Goldey-Beacom is also starting their season on Friday before hosting Gannon on Sunday. Last season the Lightning went 3-14 overall and won just one conference game. In 2021, they average 9.5 shots per game while allowing 16.2 per game. Ryan Dixon enters his 10th season at GBC and looks to notch their first winning season since 2019.
Georgian-Court opens their season against Gannon on Friday before hosting the Lakers on Sunday. Last season the Lions went 10-5-3 overall and 7-3-1 in conference play. After losing their final three games of the regular season the Lions lost in the first round of the CACC Tournament. They averaged just over two goals a game while allowing 1.61.
