Oct. 22, 2006

Stats

Findlay, Ohio - Thanks to a 5-1 victory over Findlay Sunday, combined with a tie between Northwood and Gannon, the Mercyhurst men's soccer team clinched the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) regular season championship.

Mercyhurst raced past Findlay in the first half and clinched the match with three unanswered second half scores. Freshman Kurt Young tallied his team-leading 15th and 16th goals of the season, while Tyler Emerick, Dan Young, and Bjorn Alnaes scored as well.

The victory clinched Mercyhurst's first GLIAC title in any sport since the men's soccer team equaled the feat in 2004. It also gave the Lakers a 15-3 overall record (along with 7-1 in conference) and kept them in contention for the final spot from the Great Lakes Region for the Division II National Tournament.

Emerick and Kurt Young scored goals in the first 27 minutes of play to give Mercyhurst a 2-0 lead. Findlay scored before the first half ended, though, to cut the deficit in half by the break. Kurt Young's second goal came just over five minutes into the second half and Dan Young's goal gave the Lakers an important insurance score. Alnaes' tally finished a flurry of three goals in 14 minutes and iced the game.

Daniel Mudd played just over 73 minutes in goal and recorded two saves, allowing one goal. David Smith relieved him for the final 16:56 and did not make a save.

Mercyhurst will host Northwood, the only team to beat the Lakers in GLIAC play this year, Thursday at 3 p.m. The squad then ends the regular season by hosting Gannon Sunday at 2 p.m.