Football | 8/31/2026 12:00:00 PM
ERIE, Pa. – The opening weekend of the 2026-27 athletic season is in the books, with Gannon Athletics picking up victories in men's soccer, women's soccer, women's volleyball and men's water polo while several Golden Knights turned in notable individual performances.
No. 11 men's soccer earned its first victory of the season with a 5-2 win over East Stroudsburg, while No. 23 women's soccer opened its season and PSAC West schedule with a 2-0 shutout of Seton Hill. No. 23 women's volleyball rallied from two sets down to earn a reverse-sweep victory over host Cedarville, and men's water polo picked up a 17-15 double-overtime win over Iona at the Bruno Classic.
Football wide receiver Donell "Tank" Mason provided another highlight during opening weekend, becoming just the fourth player in program history to surpass 2,000 career receiving yards. Mason finished with eight receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown at Davenport, moving into third place in program history with 2,111 career receiving yards.
This week also marks the beginning of the 2026 season for the Gannon men's and women's cross country teams, which compete Saturday at the Doug Watts Open hosted by Edinboro.
Football
BYE WEEK
Gannon opened the 2026 season on Saturday with a 32-20 setback at Davenport, but the afternoon included a milestone performance from senior wide receiver Donell "Tank" Mason.
Mason entered the season with 1,984 career receiving yards and surpassed 2,000 on a 30-yard touchdown reception from
Ty Hurst (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) during the second quarter. He finished with eight receptions for 127 yards to increase his career total to 2,111, passing Sam Culberth for third place on Gannon's all-time list. Mason became just the fourth Golden Knight to reach 2,000 career receiving yards.
The touchdown capped a 12-play, 99-yard drive after the Gannon defense, led by
Jeremiah Lovely (Jacksonville, Fla./Andrew Jackson) and
Larry Hart III (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), came up with a fourth-down goal-line stop at its own one-yard line. Hurst accounted for all three Gannon touchdowns in the contest, throwing two touchdown passes and adding a rushing score.
The Golden Knights have a bye this week before returning to action on Saturday, Sept. 12 at Shepherd.
Men's Soccer
Friday, Sept. 4 – No. 11 Gannon at Ashland – 6:30 p.m.
Congratulations to the No. 11 Golden Knights on picking up their first victory of the season Sunday with a 5-2 win over East Stroudsburg at McConnell Family Stadium. The victory also marked career win No. 98 for head coach
Billy Colton, moving him two wins shy of 100 for his career.
Gannon responded from a 2-0 season-opening setback against Lake Erie by erupting for four goals in the first half against East Stroudsburg. Five different Golden Knights found the back of the net as
Rafa Hyde (São José dos Campos, Brazil/Objetivo Aquarius),
Mario Lindo (Madrid, Spain/IES Juan Gris),
Manuel Pereyra (Puebla, Mexico/Maria Luisa Pacheco),
Ryko Bodurov (Columbus, Ohio/Olentangy Berlin) and
David Ivascu (Vaughan, Ontario/St. Elizabeth Catholic) each scored.
Gannon takes its 1-1 record on the road for the first time this season on Friday when the Golden Knights travel to Ashland for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
Women's Soccer
Wednesday, Sept. 2 – No. 23 Gannon vs. Clarion – 6 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5 – No. 23 Gannon at IUP – 1 p.m.
Congratulations to the No. 23 Gannon women's soccer team, which opened the 2026 season and PSAC West play with a 2-0 victory over Seton Hill on Sunday at McConnell Family Stadium.
The Golden Knights controlled the afternoon with a 19-2 advantage in shots and did not allow a shot on goal.
Olivia Dixon (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) broke the scoreless tie in the 53rd minute with a strike from 25 yards out before freshman
Gianna Barela (Erie, Pa./Erie) scored her first collegiate goal on a corner kick she took just under eight minutes later.
Gannon continues PSAC West action this week with a pair of contests. Clarion visits McConnell Family Stadium on Wednesday at 6 p.m. before the Golden Knights travel to IUP on Saturday for a 1 p.m. kickoff.
Volleyball
Friday, Sept. 4 – No. 23 Gannon vs. Malone – 12:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 4 – No. 23 Gannon vs. Wayne State – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5 – No. 23 Gannon vs. Eckerd – 2:30 p.m.
Congratulations to No. 23 Gannon on earning a dramatic reverse-sweep victory over host Cedarville during its season-opening weekend at the Cedarville Invitational.
The Golden Knights faced a challenging opening slate that included No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul, Cedarville and No. 24 Missouri-St. Louis. After dropping the first two sets against Cedarville, Gannon responded by winning three straight sets to earn a 3-2 victory.
Gannon finished the opening weekend at 1-2 and now returns to Erie to host the Gannon Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Highmark Events Center.
Fans should note that the Gannon Invitational will be a ticketed event. All tickets must be purchased online in advance through Gannon Athletics' Hudl Ticketing site. QR codes will also be available at the entrances to the Highmark Events Center to provide access to the online ticketing site.
The Golden Knights face Malone at 12:15 p.m. and Wayne State at 7 p.m. on Friday before concluding the weekend against Eckerd at 2:30 p.m.
Men's Water Polo
Saturday, Sept. 5 – Gannon vs. Wheaton (Mass.) – 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5 – Gannon vs. Connecticut College – 2:30 p.m.
Congratulations to the Gannon men's water polo team on earning its first victory of the season with a thrilling 17-15 double-overtime win over Iona on Sunday at the Bruno Classic hosted by Brown University.
The Golden Knights faced four NCAA Division I opponents during their opening weekend, falling to No. 5 Fordham and LIU on Saturday before splitting Sunday's contests against Iona and No. 20 Brown. Gannon rallied from a three-goal halftime deficit against Iona, scoring six times in the third quarter before eventually forcing overtime and securing the victory.
Nick Thompson (Hudsonville, Mich./Hudsonville) led the Golden Knights with four goals, while Viktor Kolozsvari and Nikiforos Liantziris (Athens, Greece/1o EPAL Zografou) scored three apiece. Petar Markovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Sports High School of Belgrade), Giacomo Peretti (Verona, Italy/Liceo G. Fracastoro) and Rajmund Kotskar each added two goals, while Daniel Madrid (Cartagena, Spain/Kings College Murcia) scored once.
Gannon returns to tournament action Saturday at the W&J Invitational in Washington, Pa., where it will face Wheaton (Mass.) at 10:30 a.m. and Connecticut College at 2:30 p.m.
Men's & Women's Cross Country
Saturday, Sept. 5 – Gannon at Doug Watts Open – 11 a.m./11:45 a.m.
The Gannon men's and women's cross country teams open their 2026 seasons on Saturday at the Doug Watts Open in Edinboro, Pa. The women's race is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men's race at 11:45 a.m.
