BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Today marked the Mercyhurst men's soccer team's first conference game of the season against LIU. The Lakers won the NEC regular season in 2024-25 while the Sharks won the NEC tournament. Gonzalo Onrubia recorded a career-high nine saves in a 0-0 draw. 
 
The first half began with the Lakers (0-5-3, 0-0-1) establishing a solid defensive presence, as Onrubia made crucial saves early on. Santiago Giraldo initiated offensive pressure with a shot in the 12th minute, though it failed to hit the target. Alvar Silva and Benjamin Buckley followed with attempts of their own, but both went wide. Mercyhurst continued to press forward, with Giraldo's shot in the 32nd minute requiring a save from the LIU goalkeeper. The Lakers thought they had found their first goal in the 39th minute when Silva fired a shot into the top left corner. However, the goal was disallowed due to an offside call, and the half ended 0-0.
 
Mercyhurst began the second half against LIU (3-1-5, 0-0-1) with a focused defensive effort, highlighted by more saves from Onrubia. The Sharks continued to apply heavy pressure to the Laker's backline. Onrubia was forced to make several additional saves while the offense struggled on the other side of the field. Buckley, Ryan Mrvcic, and Nako Amare all recorded shots midway through the half. The LIU goalkeeper remained as resilient as Onrubia. Neither side could find the back of the net to break the deadlock as the score was 0-0 at full time. 
 
Mercyhurst will return to action Thursday, Oct. 2 at Saint Francis to cap off their eight-game road stretch.