CALIFORNIA (Nov. 9) – The California University of Pennsylvania men's soccer team surrendered three second-half goals in a 4-0 loss against Mercyhurst on Senior Day in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at Phillipsburg Soccer Facility on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the loss, the Vulcans finish the season at 5-7-3 overall and 3-4-3 record in divisional action. Cal U closes the season in fourth place in the Western Division and falls short of a PSAC Tournament berth for a third-consecutive year. Meanwhile, the Lakers improve to 9-5-2 this season with a 6-3-1 mark in league action. Mercyhurst finishes the year in second place in the divisional standings and advances to the league tournament.
 
In the first half, the teams traded possession in the opening 10 minutes of the match before the Lakers took a 1-0 advantage on a goal from Mario Castel, his sixth of the season, into the bottom left-corner of the net in the 14th minute. Connor Wilkinson also registered an assist on the play after crossing the ball in front of the goal. The Vulcans nearly equalized the contest at the 22:38-mark after freshman Chance Pursifull (Germantown, Ohio/Valley View) hit the crossbar after a deflection off the goalkeeper's hands. Mercyhurst then tallied a pair of shots in nearly a three-minute stretch before freshman Eli Mitchell (Uniontown, Pa./Laurel Highlands) saw a scoring opportunity saved by the Laker goalie in the 34th minute. Senior goalkeeper Joseph Valeriano  (Southampton, N.J./Seneca) collected a save in the closing minutes of the first half, as Mercyhurst held a 1-0 lead heading in halftime.
 
The Lakers pressured the net early in the second half with a pair of corner kicks and a shot on goal before a cross into the box deflected just over the goal line to give Mercyhurst a 2-0 advantage at the 56:31-mark. The goal was awarded to Henri Tophaven, his fifth of the year, with an assist to Castel. Just under a minute later, the Lakers extended the lead to 3-0 on a goal from Fabio Schortmann, his second of the season, with an assist to Henri Tophoven in the 58th minute. Cal U would be issued three yellow cards in just over six minutes before Mercyhurst tallied the final insurance goal at the 62:38-mark. Castel hit the post and Wilkinson eventually scored off of multiple deflections inside the box, his ninth goal of the year, to take a 4-0 advantage. The Vulcans would total three corner kicks and two more shots over the final 25-plus minutes of the match, as the Lakers claimed the 4-0 victory.
 
Valeriano finished the match with four saves on 13 shots faced. He finishes the season with 65 saves and three shutouts after playing 1,365 minutes over 15 starts.

Mercyhurst held a 13-4 shot advantage, including a 7-2 edge in shots on goal, while both teams recorded four corner kicks.