Rocco
2
Winner Mercyhurst MER (11-3-2, 7-2-2)
0
Gannon GAN (13-2-2, 6-1-2)
Winner
Mercyhurst MER
(11-3-2, 7-2-2)
2
Final
0
Gannon GAN
(13-2-2, 6-1-2)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Mercyhurst MER 1 1 2
Gannon GAN 0 0 0

Game Recap: Men's Soccer | | Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Top Seed in PSAC West Still Up for Grabs as Gannon Falls to Mercyhurst

ERIE, Pa. – The PSAC West men's soccer playoff picture took a sudden change on Wednesday afternoon, and not for the better in Gannon's case. The 19th-ranked Golden Knights had a chance to clinch the top seed in the division with a win over Mercyhurst at McConnell Family Stadium, but Sidney Walden scored a pair of goals to lead the Lakers to a 2-0 victory.

Gannon now finds itself tied with Mercyhurst with one match to play. Both have a record of 6-1-2 in league play, good for 20 points apiece in the league's point system. Gannon is now 13-2-2 overall after suffering its first loss since September 18, while the Lakers improved to 11-3-2. Both have already clinched a playoff berth, as has Seton Hill.

Gannon must now defeat Slippery Rock on Saturday, and have Mercyhurst lose to Cal. Seton Hill is also still in the mix for the Western Division top seed with 18 points. The Griffins would need both Gannon and Mercyhurst to lose, along with a win over Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday. If Gannon and Mercyhurst are tied after Saturday for first place, the Lakers own the head-to-head tiebreaker after the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie in the first meeting. One other scenario could occur, with Gannon and Mercyhurst tying their contests on Saturday and Seton Hill winning. That would knot all three teams with 21 points, and bring into play a more complicated tiebreaker scenario.

The PSAC Tournament begins on Tuesday, November 9 with the quarterfinal round. The second seed in each division will host the third seed. The highest reamining Western Division seed will host the PSAC Championships, with the semifinals set for Friday, November 12 and the championship on Sunday, November 14.

Wednesday's match with Mercyhurst saw an even first half, with plenty of action. Both teams had several good scoring opportunities, but Mercyhurst would score the lone goal of the first 45 minutes at 37:41. Nic Münch took a crossing pass and fired a shot at Gannon goalkeeper Maximiliano Rocco (Florence, S.C.). Rocco made the save, but the ball bounced to the left, where Warden gathered it in. His short shot off the rebound went into the left corner of the net for his PSAC-leading 16th goal of the season.

The half ended with each team showing seven shots, with Mercyhurst holding a 3-1 lead in shots on goal. Corner kicks were 3-2 in favor of Gannon.

The complexion of the match changed early in the second half when Münch was knocked down in the box and Mercyhurst was awarded a penalty kick. Warden would take the PK, and after a fake, he fired a shot into the low right corner just out of the reach of a diving Rocco for a 2-0 Mercyhurst lead at 49:56.

Gannon also found itself trailing by two goals in the first meeting but would rally for the 2-2 tie. This time around the Lakers controlled play much of the second half, with Rocco coming up with several outstanding saves to keep the deficit at two  

Mercyhurst would end with a 21-11 advantage in shots, including 10-2 in shots on goal. Gannon held a 7-6 edge in corner kicks. Rocco finished with eight saves while Jonathan Gomes had two saves for the Lakers, as Gannon was shut out for the first time this year.

Gannon now concludes the regular season on Saturday, November 6 hosting Slippery Rock at McConnell Family Stadium at 3:30 p.m. They will then have to wait until later in their evening to know what happens next in their quest for a PSAC championship.   
 
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