SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team can clinch a berth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament for the 14^th consecutive season by picking up a win 1 p.m. Saturday in a road matchup at California (Pa.).
 
The Rock will take a 6-5-4 overall record with them, a mark on the season that includes a 6-3-3 showing in the PSAC West.  The Vulcans will be looking to snap an eight-game losing streak, now 3-11-2 on the year and 2-9-1 inside the PSAC West.
 
GAME 16 of 17
Opponent: California (Pa.)
Date: Saturday – 1 p.m.
Location: California, Pennsylvania
Venue: Phillipsburg Soccer Facility
Live Stats: California Athletic Communication
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 31-11-4
Current Streak: W2
Last Played: Oct. 5, 2024 at SRU (SRU won, 1-0)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. CALIFORNIA (Pa.)
Sydney Patrick – 5 points on 2 goals, 1 assist, 7 shots, 3 SOG (7 GP)
Maddie DeLucio – 3 points on 1 goal, 1 assist, 10 shots, 5 SOG (5 GP)
Morgan Sarver – 2 points on 1 goal, 13 shots, 7 SOG (5 GP)
Libby Zacharyasz – 2 points on 1 goal, 7 shots, 3 SOG (6 GP)
Leah Allman – (2-0-1), 0.00 GAA, 4 saves on 12 SF, 3 SHO (3 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock will be looking for its 32^nd all-time win against California in its 47^th meeting with the Vulcans. The Rock are 31-11-4 in the series that began in 1993.
 
The Rock have played strong both home and away versus Cal, putting together a 15-4-4 mark on the road. Despite that, the Vulcans have held Slippery Rock to 0-0 draws in each of SRU's last two trips to California. SRU's last win at Cal came by way of a 4-0 result in 2021.
 
That said, Slippery Rock has not allowed a Vulcans goal in three games. SRU defeated California at home last year, 2-0, picking up another 1-0 win at home earlier this season. That 1-0 win came thanks to a 19^th-minute own goal despite The Rock taking 17 of the match's 20 shots.
 

TEAM COMPARISON
The Rock	Stats	Cal (Pa.)
6-5-4	Overall Record	3-11-2
6-3-3	PSAC West Record	2-9-1
1.6	Goals per Game	0.8
1.0	Opp. Goals per Game	1.3
+9	Season Goal Differential	-8
16.3	Shots per Game	6.8
10.9	Opp. Shots per Game	9.9
8.1	SOG per Game	4.1
4.7	Opp. SOG per Game	4.9
1.5	Assists per Game	0.5
6.8	Corners per Game	2.8
7.1	Fouls per Game	10.1
3.7	Saves per Game	3.6

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 6-5-4
PSAC West Record: 6-3-3
Home Record: 2-2-3
Away Record: 4-3-1
Streak: L1
Last Five: 2-2-1
PSAC West Rank: 3^rd of 8
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | 10^th season at SRU (101-47-24, .657)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock was defeated at No. 5 Gannon University earlier this week in a 2-0 final. The Golden Knights were able to outshoot Slippery Rock 22-7 through the contest, securing goals in the 11^th and 58^th minutes of play. GU also held advantages in shots on goal (5-2) and corner kicks (9-2).
 
The game marked Slippery Rock's fourth match against a nationally ranked opponent in eight outings.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
Patrick has recorded a team-leading 16 points on four goals and eight assists. Bailey McGee's 12 points from four goals and four assists stack up second on the roster in front of 10 points from Morgan Sarver, Slippery Rock's leading goalscorer with five.
 
Palermo and Maddie DeLucio have both tallied six points on two goals and two assists, while Yoder has carved five points into SRU's statistics on one goal and two assists. Libby Zacharyasz's two goals have earned her four points with Skylar Munnikhuysen's one goal and one assist lending her three points on the year.
 
Ava Balazentis and Faith Diffenbacher both own two points, with Diffenbacher scoring at Edinboro and Balazentis assisting twice. Kierstyn Maxey and Sydney Smith round out the team's 71 total points with one assist each.
 
Zacharyasz leads Slippery Rock with 34 shots, 11 of which have fallen on target. Palermo is SRU's leader in shots on goal, seeing 20 of her 29 total attempts go to goal. In between them, Sarver has recorded 32 total shots on the year as well.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Slippery Rock has one simple and straightforward path to the PSAC Tournament if it wants to clinch a berth Saturday – a win over Cal and The Rock are in. No other games Saturday directly affect Slippery Rock's chances to secure a spot in the conference's postseason with two matches left on SRU's regular season calendar.
 
The Rock are the highest ranked team in the PSAC West not yet locked in. Gannon leads the way with 27 points in front of Indiana University (Pa.) with 24 – both of which have clinched a postseason berth. SRU sits in third with 21 points ahead of Pitt-Johnstown with 17 and Edinboro with 16 points respectively.
 
Slippery Rock has multiple other paths to qualify for the PSAC Tournament, but as of now needs to secure at least 23 points on the year to make a 14^th straight PSAC Tournament appearance.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
Slippery Rock's defense included the likes of Diffenbacher, Smith, Zacharyasz and Nina King against Gannon, all of which played full 90-minute shifts. On the year, King and Zacharyasz remain the only field players to have not missed a single minute on the pitch for The Rock.
 
SRU additionally allowed its first goal in three games, able to put a 209-minute stretch of shutout play together through four matches.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Allman comes into Saturday's match with a 1.00 GAA on the year and a .786 save percentage through 15 games.
 
Never having missed a minute in her SRU career, the sophomore has never allowed a goal to California (Pa.), 2-0-1 overall against the Vulcans with every match resulting in a shutout.
 
ON THE ATTACK
The Rock have been consistent offensively this year, continuing to rank highly in the conference in several team statistics:
 
• 1.5 assists per game ranks fourth in the PSAC.
 
• 6.9 corner kicks per game ranks third in the PSAC and 15^th in Division II.
 
• 4.7 points per game ranks fifth in the PSAC.
 
• 16.3 shots per game ranks fourth in the PSAC.
 
• 8.1 shots on goal per game ranks fourth in the PSAC.
 
Through the team's last five games, Slippery Rock has outshot opponents by a cumulative margin of 84-49. SRU has also commanded a 46-20 advantage in shots on goal and a 42-17 lead in that span.
 
ROCK STARS OF RECENT
Slippery Rock has amassed 71 points on the year on 24 goals and 23 assists, all coming from a group of 13 different players. Several of SRU's individuals rank well in offensive categories in the conference:
 
• Patrick's 0.6 assists per game rank second in the PSAC and fifth in Division II. Her 1.1 points per game rank ninth in the PSAC.
 
• Palermo's .690 shot accuracy ranks second in the PSAC and 11^th in Division II. With 1.4 shots on goal per game, Palermo also ranks ninth in the conference.
 
• Sarver's team-high five goals on the year are also good enough for 13^th in the PSAC.
 
ADDING TO HISTORY
Entering Saturday with a 6-5-4 overall record, a win over California would guarantee Slippery Rock a winning regular season record. The Rock are looking to extend what is currently a 27-year streak of earning a winning record in which a full season was played.
 
The Rock have also won at least seven games every year in which a full season was played since 1996.
 
BOUNCING BACK
Slippery Rock has lost just 21 times in the last five seasons, but more importantly, has never lost back-to-back games in that span.
 
The Rock are 13-0-6 (.842) in games directly after a loss since 2019, looking to improve that already-impressive record against California.
 
ENTERING NOVEMBER SOCCER
Slippery Rock has not played a regular season contest in November since drawing Gannon on the road, 0-0, Nov. 6, 2021. The Rock are 2-0-1 since 2015 in regular season matches played in the month of November.
 
REVVED UP FOR THE ROAD
Slippery Rock has fared well in away games this year, traveling Saturday with a 4-3-1 record as the visitor. The Rock are looking to extend another streak of winning at least five away games in a season for the 14^th straight full year.
 
RECORD WATCH
Patrick and Sarver have both solidified themselves in the top 15 all-time in shots attempted. Sarver ranks ninth with 144 shots, while Patrick has remains 14^th with 120. Sarver is five shots behind a tie for eighth with Kayla Swope at 148 total shot attempts.
 
Netting four points against Clarion, Patrick climbed from 17^th all-time to 14^th in SRU history, now with 61 points. She is just three away from what would be a three-way tie for 10^th with Jen Canucci (1994-97) and Beth Kimball (1995-98).
 
Allman stacks up eighth with 18 all-time wins, second with seven career ties and sixth with 12 total shutouts. Now with 34 career starts, the Olmsted Township, Ohio goalkeeper ranks seventh in school history, one behind Lauren McManus (2006-09).
 
THE VULCANS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 3-11-2
PSAC West Record: 2-9-1
Home Record: 2-4-1
Away Record: 1-7-1
PSAC West Rank: 7^th of 8
Streak: L8
Last Five: 0-5
Head Coach: Pete Curtis | Sixth season at Cal (19-71-12, .245)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
CALIFORNIA SCOUTING REPORT
The Vulcans are coming off a pair of close nationally ranked losses, falling 2-1 to No. 7 Gannon and 2-0 to No. 22 IUP. Those two losses extended what is now an eight-game skid that included Cal's 1-0 loss at James Egli Field Oct. 5. California's last win came in a 3-0 shutout over Clarion Sept. 21, a game that got Cal to a 3-2-1 overall record at the time.
 
While California ranks 15^th out of 17 in the PSAC with 6.8 shots per game, the Vulcans lead the PSAC and stack up seventh nationally in D-II with a shot accuracy of .593. Ida Sakrisson was held without a shot against SRU earlier this year but is one of Cal's top offensive assets with five points on two goals and one assist as well as a team-high 18 shots.
 
Emily Ouimet has become a staple of California's defense, serving as goalkeeper for all 1,440 minutes this season. The senior from Berwick, Pennsylvania carries a 1.31 GAA and a save percentage of .731, accumulating three shutouts this year.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Slippery Rock will play its final match of the regular season 3 p.m. Nov. 6 by hosting Edinboro at James Egli Field. The Rock defeated the Fighting Scots in a 6-0 road contest earlier this season.





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).