ERIE, Pa. - Mercyhurst scored four consecutive goals midway through the second half and was able to hold Gannon scoreless for the final 7:45 of regulation as the Lakers posted a 12-11 victory over the Lady Knights in women's lacrosse action Tuesday afternoon at Mercyhurst's Tullio Field.

Tuesday's contest marked the first-ever Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) match for both programs. Gannon entered the rivalry match ranked seventh in NCAA Division II while Mercyhurst was tabbed eighth.

Mercyhurst initially controlled play from the opening draw control, scoring the first five goals. Gannon rallied with six of the final seven goals of the first half, drawing even at six as the teams headed to the intermission.

Krista Schunk (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) scored four times in the final 19:23 of the first half. Mary Eshenour's (Waterloo, N.Y./Waterloo) goal with 2:50 showing on the clock tied the match at six.

Gannon continued the momentum after halftime with two more goals, grabbing an 8-6 lead on Taryn Millerd's (Shortsville, N.Y./Midlakes) score 4:25 into the second half.

In all, the Lady Knights scored six consecutive goals until Kristie Jennings found the back of the net for Mercyhurst at the 25:19 mark. Jennings' goal ignited a blitz of four straight goals for the Lakers. Kimberly Masterton fired two shots past the Gannon goalkeeper 27 seconds apart, giving the Lakers a 10-8 lead with 18:48 to play.

Gannon rallied again, tying the match at 10 on consecutive goals from Eshenour and Schunk. But the match continued to swing back and forth as Mercyhurst responded with back-to-back goals from Breanna Haggerty and Kristen Toomey.

Schunk cut the deficit to 12-11 with her seventh goal of the afternoon at the 7:46 mark. Gannon also won the ensuing draw control, but the Lady Knights could not muster the tying goal. The squad only had four possessions the rest of the way as Mercyhurst stalled and held the ball. The four possessions resulted in a save, a wide shot, and two turnovers.

Schunk led all scorers with seven goals. Eshenour recorded two goals while Millerd and Colleen Dixon (Lafayette, N.Y./Lafayette) completed the scoring with one goal each. Millerd also dished out three assists. Acacia Cook (Syracuse, N.Y./Cicero North Syracuse) recorded 12 saves in goal.

Masterton headlined the Mercyhurst offensive unit with four goals. Haggerty recorded a hat trick while five other Lakers found the back of the net once.

Gannon, ranked No. 7 in NCAA Division II, dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst, ranked No. 8 in NCAA Division II, improved to 1-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Lady Knights return to action Wednesday, March 18 at Indiana (Pa.). The PSAC West match-up is scheduled for 4 p.m.

For a complete box score from Tuesday's Gannon-Mercyhurst women's lacrosse match, please click here.