Sept. 28, 2007

Erie, Pa. - With Homecoming festivities taking place at Mercyhurst College this weekend, 12 Laker teams will play a total of 18 contests at home or in the Erie area from Friday-Sunday. Action gets started on Friday at 4 p.m. with the men's soccer team taking on Northwood and concludes on Sunday with the men's water polo team traveling to Penn State-Behrend at 3:30 p.m.

Homecoming weekend will also serve as the home opener for several Mercyhurst teams. The women's ice hockey team, coming off a 32-2-3 campaign, opens its 2007-08 season with an exhibition against the Vaughan Flames at the Mercyhurst Ice Center at 7 p.m. The men and women's rowing teams also debut at Findley Lake with the annual alumni race.

The men's water polo team, ranked No. 7 in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Top-10 Poll, plays two of its four home contests at the Mercyhurst North East Aquatic Center. The team opens against Salem International on Saturday at 2 p.m., and takes on rival Gannon at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the team travels to Penn State-Behrend.

Also making their first appearance in Erie are the men's and women's cross country teams, who will be in head-to-head competition with Gannon on Saturday. The Laker women are led by freshman Cherie Jackson, who last week at the Allegheny College Classic became the first freshman runner in program history to win an event.

The Laker field hockey team hosts defending NCAA Division II champion and the No. 2 team in the nation, Bloomsburg on Friday at 5 p.m. at Tullio Field. The women's volleyball team, returning to the Mercyhurst Athletic Center for the first time in 20 days, plays a pair of conference matches this weekend, including a showdown with Hillsdale, the nation's No. 17-ranked team on Saturday at 12 p.m.

The highlight of the weekend may be the football team's GLIAC match-up with Ashland--a game with major conference implications. The Lakers enter the game with a 3-1 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark, and Ashland boasts a 2-1 record with its lone loss coming at the hands of No. 1-ranked Grand Valley State. Game time from Tullio Field is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Prior to kickoff, the United States Air Force will present Mercyhurst College with an American flag that was flown over Iraq during a combat mission in April, 2007.

The football game can be seen on Image Sports, or online through the B2 Network. The game will also be covered by Mercyhurst College radio, WMCE 88.5 FM and 104.9 FM.

Both volleyball matches will also be aired on the B2 Network.

Men's Soccer
vs. Northwood, Friday, 4 p.m., Mercyhurst Soccer Field
vs. Saginaw Valley State, Sunday, 3 p.m., Mercyhurst Soccer Field

Women's Soccer
vs. Northern Michigan, Sunday, 1 p.m., Mercyhurst Soccer Field

Men's and Women's Rowing
Alumni Race, Friday, 10:30 a.m.

Women's Tennis
vs. Findlay, Friday, 3 p.m., Westwood Raquet Club
vs. Wayne State, Saturday, 10 a.m., Westwood Raquet Club

Field Hockey
vs. Bloomsburg, Friday, 5 p.m., Tullio Field
vs. East Stroudsburg, Sunday, 12 p.m., Tullio Field

Women's Ice Hockey
vs. Vaughan Flames, Friday, 7 p.m., Mercyhurst Ice Center

Women's Volleyball
vs. Wayne State, Friday, 7 p.m., Mercyhurst Athletic Center
vs. Hillsdale, Saturday, 12 p.m., Mercyhurst Athletic Center

Football
vs. Ashland, Saturday, 1:30 p.m., Tullio Field

Men's Water Polo
vs. Salem International, Saturday, 2 p.m., Mercyhurst North East Aquatic Center
vs. Gannon, Saturday, 8 p.m., Mercyhurst North East Aquatic Center
at Penn State-Behrend, Sunday, 3:30 p.m.

Men's and Women's Cross Country
vs. Gannon, Saturday, 10 a.m., Pleasant Ridge Park, Fairview, Pa.