MERCYHURST (5-3-6, 2-1-3 NEC) at STONEHILL (4-8-3, 2-3-1 NEC)
Sunday, Nov. 1 – 1 p.m.
Easton, Mass. – Skyhawk Field
TV: NEC Front Row
The Mercyhurst Men's Soccer team hits the road Sunday, Nov. 1, for a 1 p.m. NEC matchup at Stonehill. The Lakers arrive on a two-match winning streak after rallying past Le Moyne 2-1 on Oct. 25. They sit fourth in the league table with two conference matches left, so a result at Skyhawk Field would help their push for an NEC Tournament spot.
Mercyhurst Lakers
Mercyhurst enters Sunday at 5-3-6 overall and 2-1-3 in NEC play. The Lakers trailed Le Moyne 1-0 at halftime on Oct. 25 but scored twice in the second half. Jo Hanamoto tied it in the 79th minute off an assist from Luis Felipe Santos. Benjamin Buckley then scored the winner in the 85th minute off a Ronny Wakelin assist. The comeback followed a 1-0 win over New Haven on Oct. 18, when Santos scored in the 35th minute off assists from Santiago Giraldo and Alvar Silva. Mercyhurst outshot the Chargers 16-2 and did not allow a second-half shot. The Lakers also have a 0-0 draw at Central Connecticut (Oct. 11) and a 1-1 draw at FDU (Oct. 15) in their last five matches. They are 2-1-3 away from home this season, and six of their 14 matches have ended in draws.
Stonehill Skyhawks
Stonehill enters at 4-8-3 overall and 2-3-1 in NEC play after a 0-0 draw at LIU on Oct. 25. The Skyhawks snapped the Sharks' four-game win streak, and sophomore goalkeeper Felix van der Hagen earned his third shutout of the season. That draw followed a 4-1 non-conference loss at Harvard on Oct. 21 and a 3-0 loss at FDU on Oct. 18, when the Knights outshot Stonehill 25-2. The Skyhawks' conference wins came against Howard and Chicago State. They beat Howard 3-0 on Oct. 11, with goals from Maciej Rusiecki, Nate Monteiro and Vlad Shkolnikov. Preston Thompson's hat trick against Chicago State in early October earned him NEC Player of the Week honors. Monteiro had six goals as of the Howard match. Stonehill is 4-2-1 at Skyhawk Field but 0-6-2 on the road, so the Lakers will face a team much stronger at home.
NEC Standings Picture
The top four teams in the regular-season table advance to the NEC Championship on Nov. 12 and 15, with the higher seeds hosting the semifinals and final. The table below is ordered by conference points.
| Team |
Conf. |
Pts |
| LIU |
4-1-1 |
13 |
| Central Connecticut |
4-2-1 |
13 |
| FDU |
3-1-2 |
11 |
| Mercyhurst |
2-1-3 |
9 |
| New Haven |
2-1-2 |
8 |
| Le Moyne |
2-2-2 |
8 |
| Stonehill |
2-3-1 |
7 |
| Howard |
1-4-1 |
4 |
| Chicago State |
0-5-1 |
1 |
Mercyhurst holds the fourth and final tournament spot, one point ahead of New Haven and Le Moyne. Both of those teams have a game in hand or level games played (New Haven has played five conference matches), so the margin is thin. Stonehill sits two points behind the Lakers and needs a win to stay in the race. Le Moyne hosts Howard the same afternoon.
Series History
Stonehill has the edge in the recent NEC meetings. The teams played to a 3-3 draw in Easton on Oct. 20, 2024, after Mercyhurst led 3-0 early. Stonehill won 3-2 at Saxon Stadium on Oct. 12, 2025, on a goal in the 89th minute, after Buckley had scored for the Lakers in the third minute. Mercyhurst will look to even the series in the first meeting of the 2026 season.
Broadcast Information
Fans can watch live on NEC Front Row, with live stats available through hurstathletics.com.
Up Next
Mercyhurst closes the regular season at home against Chicago State on Sunday, Nov. 8. The NEC Championship follows on Nov. 12 and 15.
