MERCYHURST at OHIO
Sunday, Oct. 4 – 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Athens, Ohio – Pruitt Field
TV: ESPN+
The Mercyhurst Field Hockey team heads to Athens, Ohio, to take on Ohio University on October 4 at Pruitt Field. The matchup doubles as Ohio's Senior Day and "Bark at Pruitt" promotion, featuring 100 dog bowls and post-game autographs. The game will stream live on ESPN+, with live stats available through statbroadcast.com on Ohio's website.
Mercyhurst Lakers
Mercyhurst is looking to build on the standout performance that kicked off its season, a 2-1 win over Saint Francis on Sept. 8 that gave first-year head coach Rachel Bannatyne the first victory of her tenure. The Lakers have tested themselves against a challenging early slate since, including a tightly contested 0-3 NEC opener against Wagner and one-goal road losses at Merrimack (1-2) and Stonehill (1-2) that showed the group competing hard in close games. Mercyhurst's most recent outing came against LIU in the program's Breast Cancer Awareness Game at Saxon Stadium on Oct. 2, a 2-4 result that saw Lauren Hills and Kylie Kehoe each score the first goals of their collegiate careers — an encouraging sign of the young talent beginning to contribute to the attack. With the season reaching its midpoint, the Lakers will look to carry that offensive spark and the competitiveness they've shown in close NEC matchups into Sunday's non-conference test at Ohio.
Scouting the Bobcats
Ohio comes into the matchup red-hot, sitting at 5-4 overall and 3-1 in the MAC on a three-game winning streak. The Bobcats have won their last three — a 2-1 decision over Appalachian State, a 3-2 road win at Bellarmine, and a 2-1 victory over Central Michigan on Oct. 2 that was sealed by an electric fourth quarter. Ohio opened the season with three straight non-conference tests, splitting those results with a 1-3 loss to Michigan State, a 2-1 win over Saint Louis, and a 3-2 win at Queens, before dropping back-to-back games to No. 7 Wake Forest and Davidson, and a 0-6 loss at No. 6 UMass. Forwards James and Schreiner were named MAC Field Hockey Players of the Week following the App State win, underscoring the scoring punch Ohio brings into Sunday's matchup.
Series History
Sunday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between Mercyhurst and Ohio.
Broadcast Information
Fans can watch live on ESPN+.
Up Next
Following Sunday's matchup, Mercyhurst continues on the road with a game at Saint Francis on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m., before heading to Rider on Friday, Oct. 9, for NEC play.
