GAME PROGRAM INFO
Slippery Rock has moved away from printed game programs for all sports in 2023-24. This page will serve as the "Digital Game Program" for this week's game. To navigate to all gameday info for any SRU home events this year, simply visit
rockathletics.com/gameday or scan the QR code on the "Gameday Info" posters hanging in each facility.
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will welcome Seton Hill University 1 p.m. Saturday at James Egli Field. The Rock defeated the Griffins earlier this year, 2-0.
The Rock return from their two-game road trip with an overall record of 5-3-2, now 4-2-2 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division. Seton Hill enters 3-5-1 overall, 2-5-1 in the PSAC West.
WATCH ON YOUR TV - "ROCK ATHLETICS DIGITAL NETWORK" APPS
• Fans can watch Saturday's game live and on-demand for free on the Rock Athletics Digital Network, created and operated by the SRU athletic communication office.
• Search for Rock Athletics Digital Network in the app stores on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV devices. The streaming web player linked above will also integrate with Chrome Cast devices to allow viewers to cast the game to those devices.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS GAME
Saturday will serve as The Rock's Mental Health Awareness Game. Dr. John Mathe, who is an assistant professor in the Counseling and Development Department at Slippery Rock University and who also works directly with Slippery Rock athletes, will give a speech at halftime.
The team will host a fundraiser penalty kick shootout at halftime that all are welcomed to participate in for $1.00 per shot. All funds raised will go to the athletic support group on campus.
GAME 11 of 18
Opponent: Seton Hill
Date: Saturday — 1 p.m.
Venue: James Egli Field
Location: Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Live Video: Rock Athletics Digital Network
Live Stats: Slippery Rock Athletic Communication
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
SERIES HISTORY vs. SETON HILL
Saturday will mark the 18
th all-time meeting between The Rock and the Griffins, a series that Slippery Rock holds a 14-3-1 lead in. After dropping the first two meetings in 1994 and 1995, Slippery Rock's only other loss to Seton Hill came in 2018. Since then, SRU has gone on a 6-0-1 run against the Griffins.
At home, Slippery Rock remain undefeated against Seton Hill at 7-0-1. Last year, The Rock played the Griffins to a scoreless draw at James Egli Field.
LAST MEETING
Slippery Rock defeated the Griffins on the road Sept. 9, 2-0. Despite outshooting Seton Hill in the first half, 13-3, Seton Hill clung to a 0-0 scoreline.
Olivia Yoder changed that in the 52
nd minute when she found the back of the net off a
Sydney Patrick assist.
Ashley Rea doubled the lead to 2-0 in the 79
th minute, as The Rock's defense only allowed one shot in the second half. Overall, Slippery Rock dominated in shots (20-4), shots on goal (11-3) and corner kicks (9-2).
Maddie DeLucio,
Sophia Palermo and
Morgan Sarver led Slippery Rock with three shots each.
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 5-3-2 (.600)
PSAC West Record: 4-2-2
PSAC West Standings: 3
rd
Home Record: 4-0-1
Away Record: 1-3-1
Last Five Games: 2-1-2
Streak: T1
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | Ninth season at SRU (88-41-19, .659)
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock traveled to California (Pa.) Sept. 30, playing to a 0-0 stalemate. The Rock controlled the pace of play, leading in total shots (12-4), shots on goal (8-2) and corner kicks (8-2), but could not find the back of the net. Sarver, who led The Rock with five shots, was narrowly kept out of the net by the crossbar in the 18
th minute. The opportunity would end up becoming Slippery Rock's best chance on the day.
PUTTING UP THE NUMBERS
The Rock is led by Sarver's 14 points on four goals and six assists, which also ranks her third in the PSAC West in points. She has posted at least two points every week of the season thus far.
Also with four goals on the year is Patrick, who has added four assists for 12 points. Rea and
Skylar Munnikhuysen enter Saturday's contest with seven and six points, respectively. Rea has put up two goals and three assists while Munnikhuysen has contributed a trio of goals.
Yoder has four points on one goal and two assists, while DeLucio and
Brooke Riefenstahl have tallied three points, each with one goal and one assist.
Five players have two points from one goal each: Palermo,
Faith Diffenbacher,
Lindsey Price,
Briona Rice and
Libby Zacharyasz.
Nina King has one point on one assist.
PUTTING UP THE SHOTS
Sarver not only leads the team in points with 14, but has also total shots with 52 on the year which is nearly three times as many as Patrick's 19, the next highest on the squad. Sarver's 5.2 shots per game rank fourth in Division II and make up 26.7 percent of Slippery Rock's total attempts. For comparison, Slippery Rock has allowed only 79 shots from its opponents over 10 games.
Sarver also leads the team in shots on goal with 23, followed by DeLucio and Munnikhuysen who each have 10. Munnikhuysen has the highest shot on goal percentage, placing 10 of her 15 shots on target (.667).
Key contributors to Slippery Rock's offense that do not have a point on the season are junior
Jaime Dermotta and freshman
Bailey McGee. Dermotta has placed seven of her 11 total shots on net, while McGee has also broken into the double digits with 10 shots.
LOOKING FOR A SWEEP
As Slippery Rock enters its second wave of PSAC West round robin play, Saturday presents the team's first opportunity to sweep an opponent after defeating Seton Hill earlier this year. A year ago, SRU recorded two wins over both Clarion and Edinboro. Slippery Rock most recently swept the Griffins in 2021 with 4-1 and 3-1 victories.
UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Slippery Rock enters Saturday at 4-0-1 at home this season, not having lost at home since Oct. 19, 2022 in a 3-1 decision to California. With that game being played at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium, Slippery Rock's last loss at James Egli Field occurred Sept. 17, 2022 to Pitt-Johnstown, 2-1. SRU has gone 5-0-3 at James Egli Field since the UPJ loss.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
All five of The Rock's goals have come in the second half In SRU's last four games. Slippery Rock's last first half goal was scored Sept. 16 against Indiana University (Pa.), when it posted three goals in a 3-2 victory over IUP.
On the year, Slippery Rock has outscored its opponents in the first half, 9-8, and in the second half, 12-7. Despite scoring fewer goals in the opening period, Slippery Rock has taken 99 first half shots and 96 second half shots.
The Rock has been dominant in suppressing second half shots, allowing just 3.6 per game. The same goes for allowing corner kicks in the first half, which Slippery Rock has allowed just five of.
GREEN OCTOBER
Saturday will mark the first of eight matches Slippery Rock will play in October. Last year, Slippery Rock went 4-1-3 in October, losing just one home match to Cal, 3-1. The Rock shut out their opponents five times in those eight matches. Slippery Rock outscored its opponents 12-5 over the month.
A DEFENSIVE STRONGHOLD
The Rock's defense continues to be spearheaded by the likes of Diffenbacher, King, Riefenstahl and Zacharyasz, who have all played the entirety of each match. They have helped wall off the opposition, allowing just 7.9 shots and 1.6 corner kicks per game.
Their strong defense has also correlated to chipping in when needed on the attack, as each of the four defensive starters have at least one point on the year. The quartet contributes a collective average of three shots per game.
A NEW FACE ON THE FIELD
Allie Burns, a true freshman from Wexford, Pennsylvania, made her first appearance as a member of The Rock against Cal. Burns became the 20
th different member of the team to play in a game this season.
GUARDING THE NET
Freshman
Leah Allman recorded her fourth shutout on the season against California, a game in which she made two saves. Her four shutouts in 10 games rank fourth among all goalkeepers in the PSAC. The Olmsted Township, Ohio native enters Saturday's matchup against Seton Hill with a save percentage of .605, now having made 23 stops. Allman has a GAA of 1.57.
WHERE THEY STAND
Slippery Rock remains third in the PSAC West standings at 14 points on four wins and two draws. Mercyhurst University's 8-0 record puts them first at 24 points, three more ahead of Gannon University with 21. IUP rounds out the top four at 10 points.
Seton Hill enters Saturday's contest one game outside of the postseason picture, at seven points.
Slippery Rock fell to No. 9 in the most recent United Soccer Coaches Atlantic Region poll, previously ranked eighth.
ONE MORE WIN FOR 100
Head coach
Jessica Giegucz enters Saturday's battle one win shy of 100 career victories. After beginning her head coaching career with 11 wins in 2014 at Division III Northland College, Giegucz took over the Slippery Rock program in 2015 and has gone on to post an 88-41-19 record during her tenure.
ACTIVE SRU ROSTER vs. SETON HILL
Jaime Dermotta — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Sydney Patrick — 2 points (0 goals, 2 assists)
Ashley Rea — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Olivia Yoder — 2 points (1 goal, 0 assists)
Nina King — 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist)
Morgan Sarver — 1 point (0 goals, 1 assist)
Leah Allman — 3 saves (1 game played)
THE GRIFFINS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 3-5-1 (.389)
PSAC West Record: 2-5-1
PSAC West Standings: 7
th
Home Record: 2-2-0
Away Record: 1-3-1
Last Five Games: 2-3-0
Streak: W1
Head Coach: Riley Butler | First season at Seton Hill (3-5-1, .389)
SETON HILL SCOUTING REPORT
The Griffins ended their three-game losing streak Wednesday with a 3-2 home win over Edinboro. Prior to that, they suffered losses to IUP, Clarion and Gannon, cumulatively outscored, 6-1. Seton Hill's only other wins this year were a 1-0 victory over Fairmont State University and a 3-0 road win at UPJ.
Outscored on the season, 13-9, Seton Hill has simultaneously scored the second fewest and allowed the second fewest number of goals in the PSAC West. Seton Hill's nine shots per game is also second lowest in the PSAC West.
The Griffins' scoring is led by sophomore Jessica Molitoris, who has six points on three goals. Freshman Kilee Coatney is coming off her first career two-goal game, entering Saturday with five points on two goals and one assist. Midfielder Emma Rain also has a pair of goals to her name.
Towson University transfer Lindsey Pazdziorko has started seven of the Griffins' games this season, making 30 saves for a save percentage of .750 and a GAA of 1.42. However, junior Sydney Caldwell collected her first career win in Seton Hill's most recent game against Edinboro. Caldwell has appeared in three games this season, making seven saves on 21 shots faced.
Seton Hill has proven to have one of the best disciplined teams in the conference, committing just six fouls per match, fewest in the PSAC West.
The Griffins are led by first-year head coach Riley Butler, who most recently served as the assistant coach at Division I Illinois State University.
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will resume play Oct. 11 on the road at Pitt-Johnstown. The Rock defeated the Mountain Cats earlier this year at James Egli Field, 5-0.
To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official athletic communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).
