SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will look to extend its winning streak to three games 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on the road at Mercyhurst University.
 
The Rock enter the match 3-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division after a 5-0 win against Pitt-Johnstown and a 2-0 victory on the road against Seton Hill University last week. The Lakers also enter 3-1-0 overall and 2-0-0 in the PSAC West.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Wednesday's game live and on-demand for free via the links below provided by Mercyhurst Athletic Communications.  

GAME 5 of 18
Opponent: Mercyhurst
Date: Wednesday — 7:30 p.m.
Venue: Saxon Stadium
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Mercyhurst Athletic Communications
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)

SERIES HISTORY VS. MERCYHURST
Wednesday will mark the 34^th meeting between The Rock and the Lakers, a series that dates to 1993. Slippery Rock is 12-17-4 in the all-time series, going 0-3-2 in the last five contests. With most of their wins in the series coming at home, The Rock are just 4-11-3 when playing Mercyhurst on the road. Slippery Rock has not beaten the Lakers since 2019, when it swept Mercyhurst in a pair of 2-1 wins.

LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock traveled to Mercyhurst Nov. 1, 2022 to compete in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. Mercyhurst won 1-0, eliminating The Rock from the postseason. The Lakers' lone goal came in the 27^th minute by Amber Thomas. The rest of the game was a deadlock, the sides tying in shots 8-8 and in saves, 2-2. Sydney Patrick and Ashley Rea had The Rock's only two shots on net.

THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 3-1-0 (.750)
PSAC West Record: 2-0-0
Home Record: 2-0-0
Away Record: 1-1-0 
Last Five Games: 3-2-0
Streak: W2
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | Ninth season at SRU (86-39-17, .665)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock won its first away game of the season Saturday by defeating Seton Hill, 2-0. The Griffins' defense was able to frustrate The Rock in the first half, as SRU held a 13-3 advantage in shots without either side scoring by halftime. Olivia Yoder broke through in the 52^nd minute on a cross from Patrick. With 12 minutes remaining in the game, Rea knocked down a loose ball into the net for the insurance goal, securing the 2-0 win.  

BOWLING FOR THE TURKEY
A win against Mercyhurst would be Slippery Rock's third in a row, a feat only achieved once last year. A season ago, Slippery Rock had three straight wins against Edinboro (1-0), Clarion (4-0) and Seton Hill (1-0), in a one week stretch from Sept. 24 to Oct. 1. In 2021, Slippery Rock won four straight games on two separate occasions.

GOOSE EGGS ON THE BOARD
If Slippery Rock holds the Lakers scoreless Wednesday night, it will mark The Rock's third straight shutout, following a 5-0 win against UPJ and a 2-0 win over SHU. Slippery Rock had a stretch of its 2022 season in which it posted five straight shutouts — following their three straight wins, The Rock put up a pair of 0-0 draws with Gannon University and Mercyhurst.
 
Of the last five meetings between Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst, only one match featured both teams scoring goals. 

CAREER FIRSTS FOR ALLMAN
True freshman goalkeeper Leah Allman posted her first two career shutouts last week. Over the two games, Allman made four saves on eight shots faced, improving her GAA to .500, best in the PSAC West.
 
Allman will face off with Mercyhurst's Maddie Elbro Wednesday, who is tied with Allman for highest save percentage at .818. Both keepers have made nine saves in four games, allowing just two goals each.

CLIMBING THE CHARTS
With The Rock taking 27 shots per game, SRU is now ranked third in the nation behind Barry University (27.5) and Belmont Abbey College (27.33). In corner kicks, Slippery Rock is ranked second in Division II with 10.25 (USC Beaufort, 11).
 
In total shots, Slippery Rock ranks first DII with 108. Next closest is the Colorado School of the Mines with 104.
 
Likewise, Slippery Rock has taken more corner kicks than anyone else in Division II, with 41. Fort Hays State University is second with 35.
 
Morgan Sarver's 7.75 shots per game is second in the country behind USC Beaufort's Eva Kristjansdottir's eight.  

ADDING THEM UP
Through only four games, 11 members of the Slippery Rock roster already have points to their name. Patrick leads the way with 11 points on three goals and four assists. She is the team leader in both goals and is tied in assists with Sarver's four.
 
Rea and Yoder are the two other players with more than two points. Both have three points on one goal and one assist.
 
Maddie DeLucio, Faith Diffenbacher, Skylar Munnikhuysen, Sophia Palermo, Lindsey Price and Briona Rice each have two points on the year with one goal. Nina King has one point on one assist.
 
14 different players have taken shots this season, and all 14 have placed at least one shot on target. Sarver leads in shots on goal with 12, followed by Patrick with six and DeLucio and Jaime Dermotta both with five.
 
Brooke Riefenstahl had her first shot on goal of the season Saturday against Seton Hill.

A DOMINANT DEFENSE
Slippery Rock's back line, made up of Riefenstahl, Diffenbacher, King and Libby Zacharyasz, have allowed only 4.3 shots per game. The Rock has outshot their opponents by a difference of 108-17.
 
Allowing just two goals on the season, Slippery Rock's scoring margin of +2.75 is best in the PSAC. The Rock has allowed the second fewest goals in the conference, with East Stroudsburg University so far only allowing one.
 
CONGRATULATIONS ARE IN ORDER
Patrick, leading the way with five points on one goal and three assists last week, was named PSAC West Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career. With last week's points, Patrick moved into a tie for 19^th place in Slippery Rock history with 14, four away from breaking into the top 10.
 
Patrick also started her 42^nd consecutive game on Saturday. With a 43^rd straight appearance in the starting 11, Patrick would tie for ninth in program history for consecutive games started with 43.
 
GARNERING SOME ATTENTION
In the United Soccer Coaches' second poll of the season, Slippery Rock was ranked eighth in the Atlantic Region, right behind Mercyhurst, which polled seventh. The two teams were previously ninth and eighth, respectively. The Atlantic Region is made up of schools in the PSAC, the Mountain East Conference and the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
 
No. 6 nationally, Kutztown University led the poll for the second straight week.
 
CLOSING IN ON A HUNDRED
SRU head coach Jessica Giegucz picked up her 97^th career win Saturday. Giegucz has coached The Rock over nine seasons to 86 victories in combination with the 11 wins she picked up while at Division III Northland College in 2014.
 
ACTIVE SRU ROSTER vs. MERCYHURST
Diffenbacher (1 goal, 0 assists)
Patrick (0 goals, 1 assist)
 
RING OF HONOR
The 2023 Slippery Rock soccer Ring of Honor class will be inducted Sept. 15 at the Russell Wright Alumni House & Conference Center. Blair Gantz and Juliana Mione will be recognized at halftime Saturday against Indiana University (Pa.). For a full preview, CLICK HERE.

THE LAKERS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 3-1-0 (.750)
PSAC West Record: 2-0-0
Home Record: 3-0-0
Away Record: 0-1-0
Last Five Games: 3-2-0
Streak: W3
Head Coach: Rich Wall | First season at Mercyhurst (3-1-0, .750)

MERCYHURST SCOUTING REPORT
Wednesday will be the fourth straight home game for the Lakers, entering 3-0 when playing at Saxon Stadium. Mercyhurst dropped its season opener to Walsh University, 2-1, before posting three straight home shutouts against Bloomsburg University, Seton Hill, and Clarion.
 
Mercyhurst runs an offense by committee with Camille Bultel, Emily Mijares and Corinne Morgan leading the Lakers with four points on two goals each. Taryn Baxter, Vanessa Evans and Teagan Mehalko each have one goal on the year.
 
Despite the several multi-score games, the Lakers have yet to have a player record multiple goals in the same game.
 
Karah Van Horn, who has one assist on the year, leads the team in shots with nine. Mercyhurst as a team has taken an average of 14 shots per game and 5.75 corners per game.
 
Baxter, a graduate student from Spokane, Washington, was named the PSAC West Defensive Athlete of the Week on Monday.
 
Offensively the Lakers' Achilles heel has been the offsides flag, being caught offsides 19 times, most of any team in the PSAC.
 
The Lakers are led by head coach Rich Wall in his first season with the program. Wall joined the Lakers' coaching staff last December after spending time with Division I programs Coastal Carolina University, the University of Cincinnati and Ball State University.
 
Wall leads a roster with representations from eight different states and six different countries: Canada, Croatia, France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
 
Mercyhurst went 10-6-4 overall in 2022, knocking Slippery Rock out in the first round of the PSAC Tournament. The Lakers were eliminated in the semifinals by eventual national runners-up West Chester University, 3-0.  

LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will return home Saturday to face off against IUP 12 p.m. at Egli Field. The Rock drew both matches against the Crimson Hawks last year by scores of 2-2 and 1-1. The 2023 Ring of Honor class will be honored at Saturday's game.



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