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Wednesday, October 6, 2021
Hurst homecoming game ends in loss By Zach Dumais Opinion editor
One of the best Homecoming Weekend traditions is the Mercyhurst football game. There are always numerous activities such as the annual tailgate that lead up to the game. There are also a large number of alumni, faculty/staff and of course, students who attend. For the 2021 homecoming game on Sept. 25, the Mercyhurst Lakers took on the Indiana University of PA (IUP) Crimson Hawks. IUP and the Lakers have a long history as there have been 12 total games between the two schools. IUP leads the all-time series with a 10-2 record. Mercyhurst has not won against IUP since Oct. 9, 2010. Only time would tell whether this would be the matchup that could break the streak. Mercyhurst was 1-2 heading into this matchup while IUP was 1-1. The game kicked off at 1:00 p.m. and the game did not start out as the Lakers had hoped. IUP scored their first points of the game when they blocked a punt and returned it for 6 with a touchdown. Mercyhurst came right back with a 70-yard drive however, when freshmen Ayron Rodriguez caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from junior Michael Lowery with 10 minutes left in the first quarter. The 7 points that Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst was unable to get any sort of offense going in the second half while the Crimson Hawks added two more scores. The Crimson Hawks scored on a 6-yard touchdown pass and a 3-yard run. The final score resulted in a 48-13 win for the IUP Crimson Hawks. It was a disappointing game for the Lakers given that it was Homecoming Weekend. The Mercyhurst Lakers fell to a 1-3 start to the season while the IUP Crimson Hawks moved to 2-1. The Lakers also took on the #25 ranked Cal (PA) when they traveled to California, PA on Oct. 2. The Lakers attempted to shake off a three-game losing streak, but it was ultimately not in the cards for them. The Lakers were held to just 106 total yards of offense with only 7 rushing yards. They were unfortunately shutout against a tough opponent and the game ended with a final score of 37-0. Hurst Athletics photo The first quarter looked promising for the Lakers since it was only a 3-0 Cal lead. Lakers linebacker, Jacob Holl, senior, looks for the ball admist teammates and IUP opoAfter the first however, it was all downnents while playing in the Homecoming game. hill as Cal scored 34 unanswered points throughout the game, resulting in 359 total received from this play were unfortunately score by this point was now a 28-7 Crim- yards of offense. The Lakers fell to a disappointing 1-4 the only points that they would get in the son Hawk lead. start and they hope to break this streak Brian Alsobrooks, junior, played well for first quarter. when they go against Seton Hill on Oct. 9. The Crimson Hawks went on to score 21 the Lakers, hitting two field goals to make unanswered points in the late first quarter the game 35-13 going into the second half. and early second. They scored on a 7-yard The field goals were from 39 and 30 yards pass, 13-yard pass and a 1-yard run. The respectively.
Women’s soccer pulls out a win against IUP By Samantha Weber Managing editor
The ball bounced back and forth between multiple players before credit officially went to Mijares for her second goal of the game. This was Mijares’s third goal of the season. The Lakers were not done yet as two freshmen, Teagan Melhalko and Karah Van Horn, ran the ball up the field passing back and forth to each other until Melhalko was one-on-one with the opposing team goalie and shot the ball and it sailed right past the Hawks keeper in the 85th minute. This was Mehalko’s first goal of the season. The Lakers were able to hold off the Hawks for the remaining five minutes until the final whistle blew indicating the end of anoth-
er victory for the Lakers. This is Mercyhurst’s fourth PSAC West win during the season. The Lakers were able to keep the Hawks from taking any corner kicks throughout the game while they had nine for their team. Mercyhurst outshot the IUP 25-7 with 10-4 of them being shots on goal. Mercyhurst goalkeeper, Maddie Elbro, sophomore, had a good game with three saves on four shots. This is Elbro’s fifth win of the season. The Lakers will hit the field again on Oct. 6 at 5 p.m. at California, Pennsylvania when they take on the California University of Pennsylvania Vulcans.
The Mercyhurst women’s soccer team played Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) on Oct. 2. The Lakers were victorious over the Crimson Hawks with a final score of 3-1. The match was the first between the two teams since Nov. 6 of 2019, where the Lakers defeated the Crimson Hawks with a final score of 5-0. In their last 10 games against each other, the Lakers have won five, lost four and tied two matches. The Lakers were also coming off of a 4-0 win against Clarion, so they were on a winners high. The Lakers were the first on the scoreboard during the 32 minute of the first half. Dani Hartman, junior, passed the ball through the defenders and sophomore, Emily Mijares was able to get the ball and send it past the IUP goalie. That was the only goal scored during the first half. Entering halftime, the Lakers, outshot the Crimson Hawks 143. After only three minutes into the second half, IUP scored their first and only goal of the game. IUP sophomore, Chloe Thoericht, helped the Hawks get on the scoreboard. In the 59 minutes, the Lakers Hurst Athletics photo gained the lead back after Madison Hoover, junior, played a cor- Hurst midfielder, Teagan Mehalko, freshman, faces up against a ner kick perfectly into the box. player from IUP.
Be sure to check out all of the Fitness Classes available! If you’re a certified fitness instructor for any type of class, reach out to Joe Schoenleber at jschoenleber@mercyhurst.edu. They are always looking to add more classes and options
