Erie, PA & Washington, DC- The Mercyhurst Men's Soccer team is getting set to host the Long Island University Sharks tomorrow in an afternoon Halloween matchup. They will then travel to the nation's capital to play the Howard University Bisons this coming Sunday in their final match of the season.  

Lakers Run of Form 
Mercyhurst is currently 7-7-1 overall and 4-1-1 in conference play. They currently sit third in the conference. They went from first to third after this past Sunday, where they fell 3-0 to Fairleigh Dickinson University. They are tied on 13 conference points with Le Moyne and Saint Francis, who both won their conference matchups this past weekend. They have scored 22 goals this season and conceded 21 while holding five shutouts. A key player for the Lakers is senior captain Dylan Sumner. Sumner is one of three Lakers to start in every match this season and leads the team in minutes (1,337), goals (seven), assists (six), and shots on goal (21). It is worth noting that the wealth has been shared as the Lakers have eleven different goal scorers. 
 
Scouting the Sharks
Long Island is currently 5-4-5 overall this season and 2-1-2 in NEC play. They are fifth in conference standings. Their most recent match was a 2-0 win at home against Stonehill on Sunday. The Sharks have scored 18 goals so far and conceded 19. They have also kept four clean sheets. They will look to four players for goals going forward. Stephane Njike, Niklas Tranhofer, Alan Martinez, and Jesper Mikkelsen each have three or more goals this season. 

Scouting the Bisons 
Howard is 2-8-3 on the season, but 2-2-1 in conference play. They sit sixth in the NEC standings, just below LIU. Their most recent match was a 2-0 loss at Le Moyne College. The Bisons have scored 21 goals this season and conceded 43 goals. It is worth noting that 18 of these conceded goals have come against Pitt and Duke who are both currently ranked top five in the country. They may look to graduate student forward Mason Christian for offensive play and goals. Christian has six goals this season and is one of eleven goal scorers for the Bisons. 
 
Kickoff Dates, Times, and Where to Watch
Mercyhurst will play at home against LIU this Thursday, October 31st at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). Mercyhurst will then close out the season away against Howard on Sunday, November 3rd at 12:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). Viewers can find live coverage of both these matches on the NEC Front Row.