Erie, PA — The Mercyhurst Women's Soccer team is set to play their home opener this Wednesday, August 31^st against PSAC West opponent Edinboro. The Lakers are scheduled to travel for a game against Clarion on Saturday, September 3^rd to play under the lights at 7 PM.
 
1. PSAC West Challenge
PSAC West competition is set to begin this Wednesday for Mercyhurst, with the first test being Edinboro. The Fighting Scots came out of the last season with a 9-9 record. They were knocked out of PSAC Tournament by Mercyhurst. They are looking to avenge that loss and start the conference play with a win on Wednesday.
 
The matchup with Clarion is set to be another important game for PSAC West Standings. Clarion had 4-12-1 record last year and missed the playoffs.
 
2. First Game
The Lakers come back home from Bloomsburg, where after a close game, they allowed their opponents to score a goal in the final minutes of the match. Even though Mercyhurst took ten shots on the goal and their opponents took only four, Bloomsburg came out with the win. After that frustrating loss Mercyhurst is looking for their first win of the season.
 
3. Depth
As many as 21 players saw action in Bloomsburg game for the Lakers. Depth is set to be the key to a good performance through long season. With the creation of Women's Reserve Team in 2019, Mercyhurst takes necessary steps to provide multiple players with game experience, which will pay off in the future.
 
4. Scouting the Opponents
Edinboro returns most of the key players from last season. Top scorers on the team Reece Enochs and Morgan Wissner are going into just their second year with the program. Whereas Lexi Boyk is going into her junior year. Edinboro is a young team and experience gained during the last season will help them moving forward.
 
Clarion is another young team, with most of the players returning. Kylee Cross and Alayna Wicker led the team in scoring last year, with five goals each. Alex Velez has played all the minutes in net for the Golden Eagles and has made 16 saves this season.
 
5. Upcoming Games
The Lakers are scheduled to travel to Johnstown on Wednesday, September 7^th to take on University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. Then they are set to play Slippery Rock at home on Saturday, September 10^th. Mercyhurst enters a busy part of the schedule, filled with PSAC West opponents.
 
The Edinboro game is scheduled for Wednesday, August 31^st with a kick-off set for 1:00 pm. The match against Clarion will take place on Saturday, September 3^rd at 7:00 pm in Memorial Stadium in Clarion, PA.