ERIE, Pa. – We've basically reached the midway point of the fall seasons, and the winter sports are about to officially start practice. But at Gannon we've found the fall sports season tends to drag into the winter.
That's because the Golden Knights win. That was apparent again this past week as Gannon's team enjoyed a stellar week. Most notable – a 38-35 come-from-behind win over nationally-ranked Slippery Rock in football, snapping a 10-game losing streak to The Rock. Head coach Matt Darling's volleyball squad is serving notice that the PSAC championship still runs through Gannon, and women's soccer had a slight hiccup with a tie against a strong Indiana (Pa.) squad but is still undefeated at 8-0-1.
And don't look now but we are just a month away from the women's basketball team hosting the prestigious D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic! 
Below is the schedule for the week ahead, along with a quick preview of each team.

THIS WEEK IN GANNON ATHLETICS 

Football (1-4)
Saturday, Oct. 11 vs. Clarion – 12 noon – Video | Livestats

• The smart money was on Gannon falling to 0-5 with 14th-ranked Slippery Rock visiting McConnell Family Stadium. It looked even more dire when the Golden Knights fell behind 28-14. But Ty Hurst (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) came off the bench to jumpstart the Gannon offense, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third, and Gannon shocked SRU with a late-game interception for a 38-35 victory.
• The win over Slippery Rock snapped a 10-game losing streak to The Rock and was also Gannon's first over a ranked opponent since 2022. Freshman Damario Moore (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence North) accounted for 232 all-purpose yards, including an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. It was the second-longest return ever at Gannon and the first for a touchdown since 2013. Moore was named the PSAC West Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Gannon is back at home this weekend hosting Clarion looking to remain atop the PSAC West standings. The Golden Eagles had a bye this past week and come in at 4-1

Volleyball (13-4)
Tuesday, Oct. 7 vs. Daemen -- 6:00 p.m. - Video | Livestats 
Friday, Oct. 10 at Clarion -- 6:00 p.m. - Video | Livestats 
Saturday, Oct. 11 at Slippery Rock -- 2:00 p.m. - Video | Livestats 

• The Golden Knights extended their winning streak to six matches in a row with two more 3-0 sweeps at home this weekend. They wins came against a pair of teams who last December were in Erie taking part in the Atlantic Regional as Gannon beat reigning PSAC champion Indiana (Pa.) on Friday and Pitt-Johnstown on Saturday. Nehir Yazicioglu (Ankara, Turkey) was named the PSAC West Athlete of the Week after totaling 26 kills in the two matches.
• Gannon plays three times this coming week. It begins with the last of five straight matches at the Highmark Events Center as Daemen visits on Tuesday in one of two remaining non-conference matches. Then comes a Friday showdown at Clarion. While IUP claimed the crown a year ago the Gannon-Clarion matches have generally been for supremacy in the Western Division. A rebuilding Clarion squad sits at 8-8 but be cautioned – the Golden Eagles own a win over Wheeling, a team that beat Gannon in three games.
• The weekend concludes with a 2:00 p.m. match at Slippery Rock on Saturday

No. 6 Women's Soccer (8-0-1)
Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Clarion – 7:00 p.m. - Video | Livestats 
Sunday, Oct. 12 vs. Seton Hill – 3:00 p.m. - Video | Livestats 

• Gannon suffered the first blemish to its record on Saturday night as Indiana (Pa.) played the Golden Knights to a 1-1 tie. That left the Golden Knights at 8-0-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the PSAC West. Earlier in the week head coach Colin Petersen's squad posted an impressive 3-0 win over Slippery Rock. SRU had been picked to finish second in the Western Division.
• Gannon figures to receive a pair of severe challenges this week while looking to remain undefeated. The preseason favorite in the PSAC West, the Golden Knights host Slippery Rock and Indiana (Pa.). SRU, picked to finish second in the division, comes in riding a four-game winning streak to improve to 4-2 while IUP is 5-1-1. The lone loss – to Slippery Rock. IUP was third in the preseason poll. 
• Freshman Maddie Miller (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week for her play that included a long blast off a free kick for a goal vs. Slippery Rock. The impressive shot ended up as the number four play on ESPN's Top 10 Plays.

Men's Soccer (3-2-3)
Wednesday, Oct. 8 at Slippery Rock – 4:00 p.m. – Video | Livestats
Saturday, Oct. 11 vs. Lock Haven – 5:30 p.m. – Video | Livestats

• The Golden Knights continue to search for an identity during an up-and-down first half of the season. Last week began with a 5-0 thrashing of Seton Hill in a matchup of the top two preseason teams in the Western Division. Sverre Orten (Orsta, Norway/Aalesund vgs) had two goals and an assist in the PSAC West opener. On Saturday the Golden Knights had to settle for a 2-2 tie against a much-improved Pitt-Johnstown team after the Mountain Cats scored with nine minutes remaining. That leaves Gannon at 1-0-1 as conference play gets underway.      
• Gannon has a Wednesday-Saturday pair of games this week as well, and its another big week as Slippery Rock and Lock Haven seek to knock Gannon off their PSAC perch. The Golden Knights play at SRU before hosting the Bald Eagles.

Men's Golf
Sunday, Oct. 12 to Monday, Oct. 13 hosting Howard "Bud Elwell" Invitational -- Livestats  

• The men's golf team has played in four tournaments this fall and has wins in two of them along with a second and fourth-place showing. Last week head coach Scott Stano's squad won by five strokes over host Pitt-Johnstown and 15 other teams in the Sunnehanna Collegiate. Giovanni Delorenzi (Reggio Emilia, Italy/International School of Modena) finished in a tie for second with rounds of 67-70-71 = 208 (2-under) in the 54-hole event.       
• Two tournaments remain before the Golden Knights put the clubs away for the winter. On Sunday, Oct. 12 and Monday, Oct. 13 the Golden Knights host their annual Howard "Bud" Elwell Invitational at Whispering Woods Golf Club looking for a fourth straight title in the tourney. Later next week the Golden Knights head to Lebanon, Pa. looking to defend their title in the PSAC Championships. 

Women's Golf
Monday, Oct. 6 to Tuesday, Oct. 7 at William Beall Fall Classic hosted by Findlay --  Livestats
Sunday, Oct. 12 to Monday, Oct. 13 hosting Michael Corbett Fall Classic -- Livestats

• While the men's team plays its PSAC Championship in the fall the women's teams don't decide the conference crown until the spring. That leaves Gannon with two more tournaments this fall, both occurring over the next eight days.
• Gannon faces a strong field in the William Beall Fall Classic on Monday and Tuesday, playing 36 holes the first day and 18 the second. Then the fall wraps up with the Michael Corbett Fall Classic. Gannon seeks a fourth straight title in the tournament set for Sunday and Monday.  
• The Golden Knights took fourth place out of 10 teams last weekend while competing in the Gildas Club Laker Fall Invitational. Alexandria LeCureux (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) once again finished in the top ten tying for eighth place with a 73.   

Cross Country
Saturday, Oct. 11 at Houghton Invitational 

• Just one race remains before the Gannon harriers compete in the PSAC Championships on Saturday, October 25. The Golden Knights run on Saturday in the Houghton Invitational before staying in Erie County to run in the PSAC Championships hosted by Edinboro on Saturday, October 25.    
• The two teams competed last week in the Paul Short Run hosted by Lehigh. Emily Bowers (Silver Creek, N.Y./Silver Creek) ran in the Women's College Brown 6K and placed 42nd in a field of largely Division I runners.  She was the second PSAC runner to cross the finish line. The rest of the women's team ran in the College Green 6K and came in eighth out of 34 teams. 

Men's Water Polo (6-6)
Saturday, Oct. 11 to Sunday, Oct. 12 at WWPA Bearcat Clash hosted by McKendree 

• Head coach Zarko Sadikovic's team jumps back into the pool following a week off. The Golden Knights begin conference play in the WWPA Bearcat Clash hosted by McKendree. They'll play four times over Saturday and Sunday, starting on Saturday morning vs. Salem. In the afternoon they play Augustana (Ill.) in a non-conference match.
• Sunday finds the Golden Knights in the pool early for another non-conference game against Ottawa Univ. Arizona, who will be joining the WWPA. The weekend concludes with another WWPA match against host McKendree.