Johnstown, Pa. - The Lakers took to the road Saturday afternoon for their matchup with the University of Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats, looking to keep their undefeated season alive. They were able to do so thanks to a strong second half in the 4-0 victory.
How it Happened
The first half of action proved to be a close one with neither team able to claim much of an advantage, heading into the break tied at 0-0. The Lakers did hold an advantage as far as possession goes as they frequently had the ball near their counterpart's goal, applying pressure to the Mountain Cats. Mercyhurst did not stay passive when getting in close to UPJ's goal, firing off 10 shots in the opening canto of play, but with none of them hitting the mark.
The second half proved very quickly to be a different story with the Lakers able to take the lead in the opening minute of the second half. With just 39 seconds expired from the clock, Lockie Fay found the back of the net for his second goal of the season, giving Mercyhurst a 1-0 lead. Nic Münch grabbed the assist on the goal with him dribbling the ball down the field wide before crossing it in low where it found Fay's foot for the score.
The Lakers added a second goal just minutes later thanks to the team's top goal scorer, Sean Kerrigan. Mercyhurst pressured UPJ's defense into a foul in the box, leading to a penalty kick that Kerrigan ended up taking and making. The native Sligo, Ireland put his right foot on the ball and sent it into the back of the lower right corner of the net to give Mercyhurst a 2-0 advantage. They then added a third in the 65th with Julius Becker getting in on the action this time around. Dylan Sumner streaked down the field with the ball before laying it off for Becker at the top of the box where he blasted it past the Mountain Cat keeper to make it a 3-0 game.
Mercyhurst didn't stop there as they added a fourth goal to their ledger. This one came in the 77th minute of play with Erik Cederberg grabbing his first goal of 2022. After spoiling a UPJ run at the goal, Mercyhurst saw they had numbers and rallied back the other way. A touch in the midfield by Jorge Tallada Torres found Cederberg's foot and the native of Skaene, Sweden knew exactly what to do with it as he found the goal.
By the Numbers
The Lakers have scored four or more goals in five of their first 10 games of the 2022 campaign, making it three straight seasons they have done so. Sean Kerrigan scored his ninth goal of the season with his nine goals in the first 10 games of the season being the most since Jack Watson scored 11 in 2014. The team's defense has been just as impressive as their offense, conceding just three goals all season with seven shutouts to their credit. Both of those numbers lead the PSAC while the team's .33 goals per game is tied for third in all of NCAA D II.
What's Next
Mercyhurst will get some time off before their next contest as they resume play on Friday, September 30th, when they play Slippery Rock. The team defends their perfect 4-0 home record in that match as The Rock comes to Erie, Pa. with kick-off set for 6:00 p.m.
