Erie, PA- The 2023 DII women's soccer championship began with selections on Monday, November 13th. It was then our Mercyhurst Women's Soccer team found out that they'd secured the #5 seed in the Atlantic Region. As the #5 seed, the Lakers will travel to Charleston, WV to play the #4 seed, which just so happens to be the Golden Knights of Gannon University.  

A Look Back 

Being selected into the NCAA tournament is enough in itself to excite the Laker players, but to be matched up against their cross-town rivals in the first round adds some fuel to the fire. Mercyhurst and Gannon have seen each other twice this season, with Mercyhurst winning both games by scores of 4-2 and 2-1. They Finished 1st and 2nd in the PSAC West respectively and every match is intense given the history. In the two Laker wins, Karah Van Horn played as advertised. The PSAC West Athlete of the Year posted a hat trick in the first matchup and collected a goal and an assist in the second match. The Lakers will lean on Van Horn, along with many others, to continue to provide that type of production moving into the NCAA tournament.  

Scouting Gannon 

Gannon finished the regular season on a strong note, winning 5 games and tying one. The Golden Knights made a run in the PSAC playoffs, making the championship game before losing to the reigning champs, West Chester. Led by the PSAC West Freshman of the Year, Brooklyn Respecki, the Golden Knights offense averages nearly 3 goals a game. Respecki and Grace Emanuel do most of the heavy lifting, tallying 38 and 30 points respectively. 

Defensively, Gannon is known for certain schemes and traps that make them a tough team to score on. On the year, the Golden Knights have given up 29 goals and have a goal against average of 2.90.  

Rich Wall's bunch have done a good job game planning for what has been thrown at them so far this season, and they will try to make a clean sweep of Gannon come Friday afternoon.  

First Round Matchup 

The first-round matchup will take place at the Welch Athletic Complex in Charleston, WV. The game is slated for 1:00 PM. A live video link will be provided leading up to the match. For a full look at the NCAA bracket, please visit here.