LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Mercyhurst water polo team continued their 2026 season this weekend at the Bucknell Invitation, with matches against Princeton and Saint Francis. They dropped the first game against Princeton 17-3, but recovered with a close 9-8 victory against Saint Francis.
 
Game One
Within the first minute of the match, Mercyhurst got on the board first with a goal from freshman Mercedes Feliciano-Fernandez. Princeton responded with back-to-back goals to take the lead away from the Lakers. Freshman Bailey Dunn scored a goal with 44 seconds left in the quarter, entering the second tied at two goals.
 
In the second quarter, the Tigers opened up the scoring with a goal to take a 3-2 lead. Graduate student Alexa Corrao quickly responded for the Lakers to tie the game at three. The Tigers proceeded to score four more goals, taking a 7-3 lead into the half.
 
In the second half, Princeton continued the offense, with 10 goals scored. The Tigers took a 17-3 victory.
 
Game Two
In the first quarter, the Red Flash opened up to a 1-0 with just under six minutes remaining. The Lakers responded with a goal from Freshman Bailey Dunn to tie the game at one. Saint Francis and Mercyhurst traded goals again, with the Lakers' second goal coming from freshman Mercedes Feliciano-Fernandez. With just over three minutes left, Saint Francis broke the 2-2 tie to take the lead. Sophomore Victoria Mastrangelo tied it back at three for the Lakers 12 seconds later. She proceeded to break the tie and give Mercyhurst a 4-3 lead with her second goal of the game. The Red Flash responded to tie the game again at four, but Feliciano-Fernandez broke the tie with her second goal, giving Mercyhurst a 5-4 lead entering the second.
 
In the second quarter, the Saint Francis scored back-to-back goals, taking a 6-5 lead. Mastrangelo broke the tie with her third goal of the game, giving her a hat trick on the day. The game was tied at six to heading into halftime.
 
58 seconds into the third quarter, Dunn scored her second goal of the day, giving the Lakers a 7-6 lead. Senior Krista Domaracki continued the offensive display for Mercyhurst, giving them an 8-6 lead going into the fourth quarter.
 
In the fourth quarter, Dunn continued showcasing her scoring abilities, tallying a hat trick and giving Mercyhurst a 9-6 lead. Saint Francis scored two goals after, but the Lakers were able to hold onto to the 9-8 lead, tallying their first victory of the season.
 
The Lakers return to the water tomorrow at day two of the Bucknell Invitational, when they face off against Harvard at 12 p.m.