SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will look for its fifth consecutive win and to clinch a 13th consecutive Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament berth in the process when it kicks off 1 p.m. Saturday on the road against Indiana University (Pa.).
 
Following its 2-1 win over No. 18 Mercyhurst University, Slippery Rock enters with an overall record of 9-3-2, now up to 8-2-2 in PSAC West competition. IUP sits at 4-6-3 overall and 3-6-2 in the PSAC West.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Saturday's game live for free via the links below provided by IUP Strategic Communications

GAME 15 of 18
Opponent: Indiana (Pa.)
Date: Saturday — 1 p.m.
Venue: South Campus Field
Location: Indiana, Pennsylvania
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: IUP Strategic Communications
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)

SERIES HISTORY vs. IUP
Saturday will mark the 45^th all-time meeting between The Rock and the Crimson Hawks, a series that Slippery Rock holds a 23-17-4 record in. The Rock have gone 4-0-2 in their last six matches, not having lost to IUP since Oct. 26, 2019.
 
On the road, Slippery Rock is 9-11-2, falling to IUP in three of its last five games at Indiana. 

LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock hosted IUP Sept. 16, defeating the Crimson Hawks, 3-2. SRU got on the board with a goal from Sydney Patrick just 53 seconds in, with IUP using a penalty kick to equalize in the 17^th minute.
 
Ashley Rea and Morgan Sarver would go on to score in the 20^th and 43^rd minutes, stretching the score to 3-1. The Crimson Hawks chirped back in the 45^th minute with a goal, but the 3-2 score that stood at half would remain final through the full 90.
 
SRU led in shots (14-9), shots on goal (9-3) and corner kicks (8-1) in the winning effort.

THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 9-3-2 (.714)
PSAC West Record: 8-2-2
PSAC West Standings: 3^rd
Home Record: 6-0-1
Away Record: 3-3-1
Last Five Games: 4-0-1
Streak: W4
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | Ninth season at SRU (92-41-19, .668)

LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock hosted No. 18 Mercyhurst this week, snapping the Lakers' 12-game winning streak with a 2-1 win. After the Lakers rode a 1-0 lead into halftime, Maddie DeLucio headed a Sarver corner into the back of the net in the 60^th minute, the first goal Mercyhurst had allowed in over a month. Rea converted a penalty kick in the 63^rd minute, handing the 12-1 Mercyhurst squad its first loss since Aug. 31.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Opportunities for The Rock to clinch a PSAC Tournament berth entering the weekend are plentiful. SRU currently sits comfortably in third place in the PSAC West standings with 26 points – 11 points ahead of fourth-place Edinboro (4-5-3) and just four behind second-place Gannon (10-1-0).
 
The top four teams in both the Western Division and Eastern Division standings at the conclusion of the season qualify for the conference tournament. Slippery Rock will secure its 13th consecutive conference tournament appearance if any of the following scenarios occur over the next five days.
 
• Slippery Rock defeats Indiana.
• Slippery Rock and IUP play to a draw.
• If Slippery Rock loses to Indiana, but beats Edinboro on Oct. 25.
• If Slippery Rock loses to Indiana, but ties Edinboro on Oct. 25.
 
Additionally, Slippery Rock would assure itself of entering the PSAC Tournament as no worse than the No. 3 seed out of the Western Division if it were to beat IUP on Saturday.

PRECIOUS POINTS
15 different players have points for Slippery Rock, led by Sarver, who has 21 points on six goals and nine assists. A third of Sarver's points have come in the last three games, as she now leads the PSAC West in assists.
 
Second on the team in both goals and assists is Patrick, with 16 points on five goals and six assists, which ties her for sixth in the PSAC. Rea has improved to 11 points on the year, coming by way of four goals and three assists.
 
Also with four goals is DeLucio, who has nine points in combination with her one assist. Skylar Munnikhuysen has recorded seven points on three goals and one assist while Brooke Riefenstahl and Olivia Yoder carry five and four points, respectively. Jaime Dermotta's one goal and one assist give her three points on the season.
 
Faith Diffenbacher, Sophia Palermo, Lindsey Price, Briona Rice and Libby Zacharyasz all have two points on one goal each, while Nina King and Bailey McGee have one point on the year from one assist.

SNIPING SHOTS
Sarver has continued to register at least one shot in every game this season, now up to a total of 61 shots, 29 of which have been placed on target. Her 4.36 shots per game rank ninth in Division II and second in the PSAC.
 
DeLucio, Patrick and Rea continue to account for 30.9 percent of the team's total shots (82-of-265), while Munnikhuysen has also broken into the 20-shot marker, landing 11 of her 20 shots on net.
 
Dermotta is one of the team's most accurate shot-takers, sending 12 of her 19 shots on goal.
 
STAYING HOT
Slippery Rock's win over No. 18 Mercyhurst gave SRU its first four-game winning streak since Oct. 6, 2021, and its first stretch of five unbeaten games since a 4-0-3 run last season.
 
The last time that Slippery Rock won five games in a row was in 2019, when Slippery Rock won six straight games, capped off by defeating Edinboro, 2-1, in the PSAC Championship. On earlier occasions in their 2019 campaign, The Rock went on a seven-game and five-game winning streak.
 
A win against IUP would give Slippery Rock its 28^th consecutive season boasting at least a .500 overall record.

MORE CORNER KICKS
For the fifth straight game, Slippery Rock took more corner kicks than its opponent, edging the Lakers from the flag stands, 3-2. In its last five games, Slippery Rock has only allowed nine corners, all while taking 40 of its own.
 
Slippery Rock's 7.57 corner kicks per game leads the PSAC and ranks sixth in Division II.

IN SEARCH OF A SWEEP
A win over IUP would grant Slippery Rock its third series sweep of 2023. The Rock swept Seton Hill University in a pair of 2-0 wins, as well as Pitt-Johnstown, defeating the Mountain Cats 5-0 and 4-1. The Rock will also have the opportunity for four sweeps this year, Oct. 25 at Edinboro, as SRU beat the Fighting Scots, 1-0, earlier this year.
 
A SOLID DEFENSE
Diffenbacher, King, Riefenstahl and Zacharyasz have each played all 1,245 minutes of the 2023 season, allowing just 17 shots on goal in the last five games. Slippery Rock allowed just two shots on goal to No. 18 Mercyhurst, the fourth time this year that The Rock have held their opponents to less than three shots on net.
 
SRU's core four defenders continue to prove that they can attack, as well, combining for 10 points on four goals and two assists.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Leah Allman made one save against No. 18 Mercyhurst on seven shots faced, as she has allowed just three goals in the last five matches. Allman has tallied 35 saves on 110 shots faced this year, entering Saturday's game with a .660 save percentage and a GAA of 1.33.
 
ACTIVE SRU ROSTER vs. IUP
Sydney Patrick — 5 points (2 goals, 1 assist)
Brooke Riefenstahl — 5 points (2 goals, 1 assist)
Ashley Rea — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Morgan Sarver — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Libby Zacharyasz — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Leah Allman — 1 save (1 game played)

THE CRIMSON HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 4-6-3 (.423)
PSAC West Record: 3-6-2
PSAC West Standings: 5^th
Home Record: 3-2-2
Away Record: 1-4-1
Last Five Games: 1-3-1
Streak: L2
Head Coach: Noreen Herlihy | Second season at IUP (9-10-11, .483)

IUP SCOUTING REPORT
The Crimson Hawks have gone winless in their last three games, tying Clarion, 1-1, before falling to No. 20 Mercyhurst, 4-0, and dropping a 3-1 decision at Pitt-Johnstown.
 
Indiana, Pennsylvania native Hannah Scardina leads the team with 14 points on seven goals, netting three in the last six games. Freshman Elle Smith has chipped in with 12 points on five goals and two assists, taking 27 shots on the year, as well.
 
True freshman Maddy Orr is IUP's most recent goalscorer, scoring her second goal of the year against UPJ earlier this week.
 
Vanessa Berlin has made all 13 starts in net for the Crimson Hawks, racking up 51 saves on 159 shots faced. Berlin enters Saturday with a .662 save percentage and a GAA of 2.12.
 
As a team, the Crimson Hawks have been outscored on the year, 27-20, and take just 2.92 corner kicks per game, the third fewest in the PSAC. However, the Crimson Hawks commit just 5.69 fouls per game, making them the fourth cleanest team in Division II.
 
IUP is led by second-year head coach Noreen Herlihy, who served as Slippery Rock's head coach from 1995-2014. In Herlihy's 20 years with The Rock, she amassed a record of 250-113-30 (.674) and is the winningest women's soccer coach in program history. At the conclusion of her time with SRU, Herlihy had won three PSAC championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times. She became the 11^th coach in Division II history to hit the 250-win mark.

LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will play its final away game of the regular season 6 p.m. Oct. 25 at Edinboro. The Rock defeated the Fighting Scots, 1-0, earlier this season at James Egli Field.



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