ERIE, Pa. — Mercyhurst (1-2) defeated SFU (1-3) on Tuesday. The Lakers held a 16-8 advantage in shots, including 8-3 in shots on goal, and scored in the first and third quarters while SFU scored in the fourth.
After SFU earned an early penalty corner, the Lakers created a run of chances, with Anna Napolillo having a shot blocked and Anna Muscat forcing a save before another attempt went wide. Rachel Kosowski put the Lakers' ahead 1-0 at 6:31 off an assist from Finja Wunner. It was Kosowski's first goal of the season. Wunner later made a defensive save on an SFU shot at 7:10. SFU generated late pressure with a shot wide at 13:05 and penalty corners at 13:45 and 13:57, but the Lakers reached the end of the first quarter with the 1-0 lead.
The Lakers created the first recorded chance of the second quarter when Muscat put a shot on goal at 20:27, but the SFU goalkeeper made the save. SFU earned a late penalty corner at 29:36, but the sequence did not produce a goal. The Lakers' generated one more look before the break as Wunner's shot at 29:55 was saved by the goalkeeper, and the quarter ended with the Lakers ahead 1-0.
SFU had the first recorded shot of the third quarter when an SFU player went wide at 34:39, but the Lakers added to the scoreboard at 36:29 on Catherine Hudak's penalty-stroke goal for a 2-0 lead. It was Hudak's first goal of the season. The Lakers' earned a penalty corner at 41:29, and SFU came back with pressure later in the quarter, including a shot off the post at 41:40 and another attempt high eight seconds later. Victoria Campana stopped that shot at 43:04, and the Lakers took the 2-0 advantage into the end of the third quarter.
The Lakers generated the first chance of the fourth quarter when Muscat put a shot on goal at 46:49, and the team earned a penalty corner at 48:13 before SFU scored at 48:25 on a goal to make it 2-1. The Lakers' came back with a Muscat shot wide at 48:25 and another penalty corner at 48:26, while SFU sent its next attempt wide at 52:19. The teams traded pressure midway through the quarter, with Hudak and Helena Moon having shots blocked around an SFU corner at 53:24. Late in the quarter, Napolillo shot wide at 58:53, SFU drew consecutive corners at 58:53 and 58:57, and Napolillo put another shot on goal at 59:03 before the Lakers closed out the 2-1 final.
This victory marked the first win of the 2026 season and the first of head coach Rachel Bannatyne's career, as well as assistant coach Louise Pert's.
Lakers Top Performers: Rachel Kosowski scored the game-winning goal — her first of the season — on two shots. Catherine Hudak added a goal of her own, converting a penalty stroke on two shots. Finja Wunner contributed one assist, one defensive save, and one shot on goal, while Anna Muscat led the team with five shots, three of which were on goal.
Up next, the Lakers' hit the road to take on familiar foe Central Michigan on September 11th at 1:00 pm.
