CALIFORNIA (Sept. 17) – Playing nearly 40 minutes a 'man down,' the California (PA) men's soccer team suffered a 5-0 loss against No. 12 Mercyhurst to open Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West play at the Philipsburg Soccer Facility.
With the loss, the Vulcans fall to 1-3-1 this season while facing its first nationally-ranked opponent of the season. Meanwhile, the Lakers record their third-consecutive shutout and improve to 7-0-1 overall.
Mercyhurst raced out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth minute on a goal by Nic Much following a corner by Dylan Sumner. The Lakers added to the lead at the 34:53-mark on an unassisted goal by Guilherme de Lima Cunha.
In the opening five-plus minutes of the second half, Mercyhurst stretched the lead to 3-0 on a rebound goal by Sean Kerrigan. The Vulcans were then issued a red card just under two minutes later, as they were forced to play a 'man down' for the remainder of the game. The Lakers extended the lead to 4-0 in the 61st minute before scoring the final goal of the game off a rebound at the 70:02-mark.
Junior
Payton Smith (Columbus, Ohio/Lincoln) made a career-high nine saves and faced 21 shots in 70 minutes on Saturday. Freshman
AJ Visco (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford) tallied one save while playing the remainder of the game.
The Lakers out-shot the Vulcans by a 22-5 margin after attempting 13 shots in the second half. Mercyhurst also held a 5-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Cal returns to action on Wednesday, Sept. 21, when it hosts Slippery Rock in divisional play at 6 p.m.
