Erie, Pa.- The Mercyhurst Men's Water Polo team is set to return to Erie for their home opening weekend. The Lakers will take on Washington & Jefferson, Wheaton College, Connecticut College and Penn State Behrend as they'll compete in Erie for the first time as a Division I team.  
 
Battling on the Road
The Lakers completed their first three road games of 20 that they'll play in the 2024 season. Mercyhurst jumped right into some tough action with games against George Washington, John Hopkins and Occidental. George Washington edged the Lakers 17-8 in the first game of the year. Junior Owen Hardner scored two goals in the matchup. Against John Hopkins, Petar Vujovic put up a team-high nine goals, but it wasn't enough as they dropped a tight contest 21-18. In the final game of the weekend, Mercyhurst fell to Occidental in a game where the offense couldn't get things going.
 
Scouting Connecticut College
Connecticut College enters play with a 1-1 record. Their lone win came over Wheaton, who they'll also see this weekend. Thomas Mcdonough led the way for them against Wheaton with five goals in the matchup. The Lakers will need to slow him down as they look to find their footing defensively.
 
Scouting Penn State Behrend
Penn State Behrend walks into the weekend undefeated after one weekend of play. They played at W&J and it was the only game that counted towards their record. Jack Holl and Karol Nowak lead the team in scoring with three and four goals, respectively. Mercyhurst is aiming to snag a win over their cross town rival on Senior Day.
 
 
Scouting Wheaton College
The Lyons have played just two games thus far, and they've fallen in both. Sophomore Connor Thompkins has led the way for them offensively with seven goals and assist. He's tallied a hat trick in both of their games to this point. Freshman Spyros Rapsomanikis has also accounted for seven goals. The Lakers will look to shut them down.
 
Scouting Washington & Jefferson
 
The Lakers finish out the weekend playing Washington & Jefferson. The Presidents have only played in four games so far. They dropped a double overtime match to Penn State Behrend. Mercyhurst will aim to finish the weekend strong against W&J before they head back out on the road.
 
Next Game
Once action wraps up in Erie, the Lakers will travel to New York for games against Fordham and Navy next weekend. The action kicks off at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 28^th.