Erie, Pa. - After a 2-0 start to the 2022 season, Mercyhurst Football will finally see their friendly confines with the season's home opener being played this Saturday, September 17th, against Kutztown University. The Lakers are riding high after outscoring their opponents 94-35 in the first couple of weeks and look to carry that momentum into this matchup.

1. Big Numbers
The Lakers have put together back-to-back stellar performances, helping them put this season's team in rarified air in the early going. Mercyhurst scored 94 points in their first two games of the season for the second most through the first two games of a season. Their total margin of victory to this point is 59 points, also second in program history. The only team to outpace the 2022 version of the Lakers is the 1985 Mercyhurst team which score 147 points while allowing just seven points.

2. Ferretti for the Win
On top of the Laker's big win over Lock Haven in week two, Mercyhurst added an honor to their ledger in the form of Dillon Ferretti. The junior linebacker ended up winning his first PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week award for his performance against the Bald Eagles. The native of Greensburg, Pa. recorded a career-best 12 tackles with two of them going for a loss with and a sack while scoring the first defensive TD of the year for the Lakers with a 32-yard pick-six.

3. The Magic Number
Head Coach Ryan Riemedio and crew look to begin the 2022 season 3-0, which has been no small feat in Mercyhurst's history. The Lakers have won the three first contests of a season in six different instances with the last coming in 2015 when the team went 5-6 under Marty Schaetzle. Riemedio looks to join Ken Brassington as the only coach in program history to win their first three career coaching decisions. Brassington did so in 1988 when Mercyhurst won each of their first five games. 

4. Dynamic Duo
The 1-2 combo in the backfield of David Alize and Dustin Shoaf has proven to be a force here in the early part of the 2022 season. Alize currently sits fifth in the PSAC for total rushing yards with 205 while averaging the eighth-most yards per carry (5.7) while Shoaf sits second in the conference in touchdowns with four. The duo has accumulated the third most yards of any rushing tandem in the PSAC behind Gannon's Melvin Banks and Antonio Wright and Shepherd's Ronnie Brown and Blake Hartman.

5. Scouting Kutztown
The Golden Bears enter week three 1-1 after defeating #17 Cal (Pa.) 24-19 last Saturday in their home opener. Kutztown's defense has been stellar through the first couple of weeks of 2022 with them currently being tied for the fewest touchdowns allowed in the conference with just two. Opponents have scored 11 points per game on average against Kutztown, giving them one of the premier defenses in the conference.

Tickets are available online HERE and will be available for purchase at the front gate. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for youth, seniors, and military. Parkhurst Dining Services will be serving concessions throughout the game and will be cash only for this event.