Logan Nicklas
Mike Gallagher

Women's Soccer Bob Shreve, Assistant Director of Athletics Media Relations

Match Preview: Gannon, Mercyhurst Square Off with First Place on the Line in PSAC West

GANNON GOLDEN KNIGHTS (10-2-1, 9-1-0 PSAC West) at MERCYHURST LAKERS (12-2-0, 11-1-0 PSAC West)
DATE/TIME: Saturday, October 21, 2023 | 7:30 p.m.
STADIUM/LOCATION: Saxon Stadium l Erie, Pa.
LIVE STATS
LIVE VIDEO
 
 
THE GANNON-MERCYHURST SERIES
Mercyhurst leads 26-11-6
Gannon swept both of last year's meetings by scores of 2-1 at Mercyhurst and 3-1 at McConnell Family Stadium but the Lakers got the better of the Golden Knights in the first meeting this year by a 4-2 score in mid-September. That marked the first time Gannon had lost to Mercyhurst since 2019 and was the first time Mercyhurst had won at McConnell Family Stadium since 2006. Gannon is 4-1-1 in the last six meetings with the Lakers.

Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2023 – Mercyhurst 4, at Gannon 2 | RECAP
Mercyhurst was able to jump out to an early lead and hold off the Golden Knights despite Gannon holding a 24-9 advantage in shots. The Lakers grabbed a 1-0 lead 11 minutes into the match and scored again in the 26th minute, both courtesy of Karah Van Horn. She earned the hat trick early in the second half as the Lakers scored twice in a span of six minutes to go up 4-0. Gannon rallied with a pair of goals, both courtesy of Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton).  


ERIE, Pa. – Gannon has clinched a berth in the PSAC Tournament for the third straight year and now has a chance to pull even with Mercyhurst in the PSAC West standings. The two teams meet for the second time this season on Saturday, October 21 at Mercyhurst's Saxon Stadium. The Lakers won the first meeting in mid-September 4-2. Gannon comes in at 10-2-1 overall and 10-1-0 in the PSAC West while Mercyhurst is 12-2-0 and 11-1-0, respectively.

Mercyhurst had climbed to 18th in the latest United Soccer Coaches Division II Top 25 but Slippery Rock snapped the Lakers' 12-game winning streak with a 2-1 win on Wednesday. Gannon was receiving votes in the latest poll. Gannon has moved up to fourth in the latest Atlantic Region rankings, one spot behind Mercyhurst.

Saturday's match wraps up eight days of rivalry week, with Gannon and Mercyhurst meeting in volleyball, men's soccer, football and now women's soccer since last week. Mercyhurst has a game in hand vs. Gannon, but the Golden Knights can pull even with a win on Saturday. The Lakers have 33 points while Gannon is next with 30 points. Slippery Rock is not far behind in third place with 26 points. The Golden Knights play at Slippery Rock on October 31.

Gannon's youthful high-scoring attack goes up against an extremely stingy Mercyhurst defense. The Golden Knights rank 19th in Division II and second in the PSAC in goals with 36. The PSAC leader? Mercyhurst with 44, good for tied for fifth nationally. The Lakers have shut out 11 opponents and have allowed just six goals, two by Logan Nicklas (Allison Park, Pa./Hampton) in the first meeting. Slippery Rock's two goals snapped a string of seven straight shutouts.  
 
Last Time Out
Gannon has not played since last Saturday when the Golden Knights posted a 3-1 win at California (Pa.). That boosted the Golden Knights' winning streak to eight matches in a row, the longest since the 2015 squad ran off 17 straight wins to start the season. The freshmen tandem of Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) and Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) accounted for the first two goals, the first in the eighth minute and the second at 24:01. Cal cut into the 2-0 halftime lead with a goal early in the second half, but four minutes later at 61:33 Leah Bermudez (Milton, Ontario/Jean Vanier Catholic) scored her third goal of the season to cap the win. Gannon held a 17-7 advantage in shots, with Morgan Sinan (Cranberry Twp., Pa./Seneca Valley) picking up three saves in goal. 

Head Coach: Former Gannon soccer great Colin Petersen is in his 24th season with the Gannon soccer program and 22nd as the head coach of the women's soccer program in 2023. Petersen, who has also spent time in a dual position as an assistant for the men's program, was hired as the seventh head coach in the history of the women's program on February 13, 2002. Petersen is the winningest and longest-tenured coach in the 36-year history of the Gannon women's soccer program. He was inducted into the Gannon Athletics Hall of Fame as a player in 2017. Petersen has a school-record 198 career coaching victories, holding more than 100 wins than the closest coach. Petersen owns an overall record of 198-159-37. Gannon has produced a .500 record or better during 14 of the last 15 seasons under Petersen and now has ten 10-win seasons. The Golden Knights have qualified for the PSAC Tournament 11 times in Petersen's tenure, with six NCAA Tournament appearances.

Golden Knights in PSAC Tournament for Third Straight Year
Gannon has already clinched a berth in the upcoming PSAC Tournament for the third straight year. The quarterfinals take place on Monday, November 6 at the highest seeds. The PSAC Final Four will be hosted by the highest remaining Eastern Division seed following the quarterfinals, with the semifinals on Friday, November 10 and the championship game set for Sunday, November 12. A year ago Gannon reached the championship game before losing to eventual national runner-up West Chester 3-0. 

Respecki Continues to Accumulate Among Strong Freshman Class
Brooklyn Respecki (McKean, Pa./General McLane) has now accounted for a point in 12 of 13 matches this season. The first Mercyhurst contest is the only game this year that the freshman has not had either a goal or an assist. Respecki leads the PSAC in goals with nine and points with 25 while ranking fourth in assists with seven. Fellow first-year performer Grace Emanuel (Erie, Pa./McDowell) adds seven goals and two assists for 14 points, while Ella Fadale (Brockport, N.Y./Brockport) boosted her totals to six goals and an assist with two goals and an assist recently vs. Edinboro. Fadale, a sophomore, was named the PSAC West Freshman of the Year last season. All told freshmen have accounted for 20 of 39 goals as head coach Colin Petersen continues to reap the benefits of a strong recruiting class.  

Scouting Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst opened the season with a 2-1 loss, then ran off 12 straight wins before a 2-1 loss at Slippery Rock on Wednesday. The Lakers led 1-0 before SRU scored twice within three minutes early in the second half. That left the 18th-ranked Lakers with a 12-2-0 record and 11-1-0 in the PSAC West. Mercyhurst holds a three-point lead over Gannon for first place in the Western Division. Incredibly, the Lakers haver allowed just six goals all season with 11 shutouts. Slippery rock's two goals were the first scored after seven straight shutouts. Two-time All-PSAC West honoree Maddie Elbro has been outstanding in goal. The senior has allowed has a 0.44 GAA and .864 save percentage. The back line is anchored by Taryn Baxter. The graduate student was the 2022 PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Year and is a three-time All-PSAC West selection. Karah Van Horn, a junior forward who was an All-PSAC West first team selection a year ago, has a team-leading seven goals, with three coming in the first meeting with Gannon. She adds a team-high eight assists for 22 points. Corinne Morgan adds six goals and seven assists and Camille Bultel also has six goals.

Next for the Golden Knights
After back-to-back road games Gannon returns to McConnell Family Stadium on Wednesday, October 25. The Golden Knights will host Clarion at 3:00 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Leah Bermudez

#2 Leah Bermudez

D
5' 4"
Graduate Student
Psychology
Ella Fadale

#17 Ella Fadale

M
5' 6"
Sophomore
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

F
5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

GK
5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

F
5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science
Grace Emanuel

#24 Grace Emanuel

M
5' 3"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Leah Bermudez

#2 Leah Bermudez

5' 4"
Graduate Student
Psychology
D
Ella Fadale

#17 Ella Fadale

5' 6"
Sophomore
M
Logan Nicklas

#29 Logan Nicklas

5' 7"
Senior
Applied Exercise Science
F
Morgan Sinan

#0 Morgan Sinan

5' 7"
Senior
Cybersecurity
GK
Brooklyn Respecki

#7 Brooklyn Respecki

5' 3"
Freshman
Exercise Science
F
Grace Emanuel

#24 Grace Emanuel

5' 3"
Freshman
M