SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse team clinched a second straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoff berth and tied the program record for single-season wins with a 16-10 victory over Gannon Wednesday evening at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Rock goalie Emily Bitka also set a new NCAA Division II record for single-season ground balls in the victory.
 
Bitka picked up her 12th win of the year after recording 13 saves in goal and her seven ground balls brought her single-season total to 98, topping the former NCAA Division II and PSAC record of 97 that was set by Lock Haven's Katie Zichelli over 20 games in 2009.

The Rock improve to 12-4 overall and 7-4 in PSAC games with the win, matching last spring's team (12-6) for the single-season wins record with one game left in the regular season. SRU currently sits in a tie for fourth place in the PSAC standings with No. 22 Lock Haven. If both teams win their final regular season games Saturday and Mercyhurst wins its final game, LHU would be the fourth seed and host fifth seed SRU in the first round of the playoffs by way of the Bald Eagles' head-to-head win earlier this season. If SRU and LHU both win and Mercyhurst were to lose to Kutztown, LHU would climb to the third spot, Mercyhurst would be fourth and SRU would stay fifth.
 
Gannon (3-10, 2-9 PSAC) scored the first goal of the game and trailed by just two, 7-5, early in the second half before Slippery Rock put together a 5-0 run to put the game out of reach. The Golden Knights would cut the deficit to four goals at 13-9 with 9:48 to play, but SRU slammed the door with a 3-0 spurt over the next seven minutes.
 
Slippery Rock finished the game with advantages of 40-25 in shots and 43-37 in ground balls while causing a total of 25 turnovers and forcing Gannon into 13 failed clears (15-of-28). The Golden Knights caused 19 turnovers and held SRU to just 18-of-31 in clear attempts in a game that featured 75 total turnovers, 80 ground balls, 65 shots and 59 clear attempts. Both teams were credited with 14 draw controls.
 
Slippery Rock got hat tricks from four different players and five points from both Tia Torchia and ShyAnne Toomer. Torchia tallied four goals and handed out one assist to go along with six draw controls, five caused turnovers and six ground balls. Toomer scored three goals and handed out two assists to go along with five caused turnovers and six ground balls.
 
Erin Brown and Bre Vodde each finished with three goals, while Kelly Muenster added two goals and Sammy Gentzler handed out two assists to cap the multiple point scorers. Francesca Lindelow rounded out the goal scorers with one goal and Ally Culhane had one assist in her return from injury.
 
Gannon was led by Erin Rotondo with five goals and Leilani King with three goals, six caused turnovers and a game-high 13 ground balls. Erin Renwick took the loss in goal despite recording 15 saves.
 
Wednesday's game marked the final regular season home game for SRU, which will close the regular season Saturday with a 1 p.m. game at Shippensburg. The Rock will need to win that game and have Lock Haven lose to Edinboro in order to secure another home game. If both teams win, SRU will either travel to LHU or Mercyhurst May 1 for the opening round of the PSAC tournament.


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