TICKETS   |   PSAC Tournament Central
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team will begin its 14^th straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament by traveling to No. 23 Indiana University (Pa.) 1 p.m. Tuesday in a quarterfinal matchup.
 
The Rock, who earned the third seed in the PSAC West, wrapped up their regular season efforts with an 8-5-4 overall record that contained an 8-3-3 mark in league play. The nationally ranked Crimson Hawks head into their first PSAC Tournament in five years after putting together an 11-1-4 year that included a 9-1-4 showing in PSAC West action.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Tuesday's game live for free via the links below provided by IUP Strategic Communications.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets on the PSAC Tournament Central website page or at this LINK provided by the PSAC. All entry at IUP will require tickets with all transactions being cashless. Adult ticket prices are $10, while tickets for students in 12^th grade or younger are $5. PSAC Passes will be honored.
 
PSAC Tournament Quarterfinals
Opponent: Indiana (Pa.)
Date: Tuesday – 1 p.m.
Location: Indiana, Pennsylvania
Venue: South Campus Field
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Indiana (Pa.) Strategic Communications
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 24-18-5
Current Streak: D1
Last Played: Oct. 19, 2024 at SRU (Tied, 0-0)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. IUP
Sydney Patrick – 7 points on 2 goals, 3 assists, 11 shots, 5 SOG (8 GP)
Libby Zacharyasz – 6 points on 3 goals, 13 shots, 9 SOG (6 GP)
Morgan Sarver – 2 points on 1 goal, 9 shots, 5 SOG (6 GP)
Skylar Munnikhuysen – 9 shots, 5 SOG (6 GP)
Leah Allman – (2-1-1), 1.50 GAA, 9 saves on 30 SF, 1 SHO (4 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Rock and the Crimson Hawks will be meeting for the 48^th time in series history, a matchup that has seen SRU earn a 24-18-5 record. The two teams most recently played to a 0-0 draw at James Egli Field Oct. 19.
 
Tuesday's PSAC Quarterfinal contest will be the fifth PSAC Tournament game between The Rock and the Crimson Hawks, with both teams going 2-2 against one another in the playoffs. SRU most recently defeated IUP in the quarterfinals in 2019 – a game that marks the last time IUP has been in the PSAC Tournament.
 
Slippery Rock's other playoff win against IUP came in a 1-0 semifinal decision in 2005. The Rock went on to win the PSAC Championship that year under head coach Noreen Herlihy, who will be leading the Crimson Hawks Tuesday as IUP's head coach.
 
IUP does hold a narrow 12-10-2 overall advantage when hosting Slippery Rock, last picking up a 3-0 win earlier this year. The last time that IUP defeated Slippery Rock at home – a 2-1 decision in 2019 – the Crimson Hawks ended up losing to Slippery Rock in the PSAC Quarterfinals.
 

TEAM COMPARISON
The Rock	Stats	#23 IUP
8-5-4	Overall Record	11-1-4
8-3-3	Conference Record	9-1-4
1.7	Goals per Game	1.8
0.9	Opp. Goals per Game	0.5
+14	Season Goal Differential	+21
15.9	Shots per Game	11.9
10.2	Opp. Shots per Game	9.7
8.0	SOG per Game	6.1
4.5	Opp. SOG per Game	4.4
1.6	Assists per Game	1.3
7.1	Corners per Game	5.0
7.6	Fouls per Game	7.4
3.6	Saves per Game	3.9

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 8-5-4
PSAC West Record: 8-3-3
Home Record: 3-2-3
Away Record: 5-3-1
Streak: W2
Last Five: 3-1-1
PSAC West Rank: 3^rd of 8
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | 10^th season at SRU (103-47-24, .661)
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock cruised to a 4-0 win over Edinboro to cap off its regular season Nov. 6 at James Egli Field. A career-high five points from two goals and one assist by Sophia Palermo kickstarted SRU's performance with goals coming in the third and 25^th minutes.
 
Palermo then assisted Olivia Yoder in the 42^nd minute to put The Rock up at halftime, 3-0. A 75^th-minute goal off the head of Skylar Munnikhuysen increased SRU's margin of victory to four goals for the third time this season.
 
In addition to Palermo, both Yoder and Sydney Patrick recorded an assist in the win. Palermo also led SRU with seven total shots, while The Rock outshot the Fighting Scots, 19-8. SRU additionally gained strongholds in shots on goal (10-4) and corner kicks (10-1).
 
Leah Allman made four saves to come away with the 14^th shutout of her career.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
Patrick has led the way all season long for The Rock, now with 18 points on four goals and a team-high 10 assists. Palermo's season tally continues to climb, up to 13 points on five goals and three assists.
 
Those five goals are tied with Morgan Sarver for most on the team. Behind Bailey McGee's 12 points on four goals and four assists, Sarver ranks fourth with 10 points, all of which have come from her five goals.
 
A career day that included a goal and an assist pushed Yoder up to seven points on the season with two goals and three assists in total. Maddie DeLucio has tallied six points on two goals and two assists, while Munnikhuysen owns five points on two goals and an assist.
 
Libby Zacharyasz has netted two goals for four points ahead of Ava Balazentis and Faith Diffenbacher, who each have two points Balazentis has logged two assists, while Diffenbacher has one goal. Kierstyn Maxey and Sydney Smith round out the 12 players with points with one assist each.
 
Palermo and Zacharyasz are tied for a team-high 37 shots, with Palermo leading the way in accuracy by placing 23 of her attempts (62.2 percent) on frame.
 
WHERE THEY STAND
Slippery Rock finished third out of eight teams in the PSAC West with 27 points on eight wins and three draws. That stacked up four points behind IUP, which used nine wins and four draws to earn 31 points for the two-seed as well as PSAC Quarterfinal hosting rights.
 
The winner of Tuesday's quarterfinal fixture will play the winner of the one-versus-four matchup in the PSAC East between Shepherd University and Bloomsburg University.
 
In the other side of the bracket, top-seeded PSAC West team Gannon University will host Pitt-Johnstown, which will be playing in its first PSAC Tournament in school history. The winner of that game will take on the victor of the two-versus-three pairing in the PSAC East between West Chester University and Kutztown University.
 
The highest remaining seed in the PSAC West will host the remainder of the PSAC Tournament. That means if Slippery Rock defeats IUP and Pitt-Johnstown upsets the No. 5 Golden Knights of Gannon, SRU will be able to host the PSAC Semifinals Friday and PSAC Championship Sunday.
 
THE ROCK IN THE PLAYOFFS
Tuesday will feature Slippery Rock's 33^rd all-time PSAC Tournament game in its 14^th consecutive playoff appearance. SRU's last playoff win came in the 2019 PSAC Championship when it defeated Edinboro to pick up a fourth title in program history.
 
The Rock have played IUP in the semifinals three times and met in the PSAC Tournament Quarterfinal stage in 2019 with The Rock defeating the Crimson Hawks, 2-1.
 
A win would put Slippery Rock in the PSAC Tournament Semifinals for the third time in nine years. SRU beat Shippensburg in the 2015 quarterfinals, 1-0. The Rock are 3-3 in their last half dozen PSAC Tournament games overall.
 
THE ROCK vs. RANKED TEAMS
Slippery Rock is playing its fifth nationally ranked opponent of 2024, coming into Tuesday with a 0-2-2 record in those games. The Rock were narrowly defeated by No. 4 Ashland University, 1-0, Oct. 9 and lost to No. 5 Gannon in a 2-0 final Oct. 30. SRU also played No. 5 Gannon to a 1-1 draw at home and forced a scoreless draw with No. 23 IUP Oct. 19.
 
The last time Slippery Rock faced five nationally ranked teams in the same season was in 2013, with The Rock posting a 2-2-1 record in those matches. A 15^th-ranked SRU team dropped a 1-0 decision to Gannon in the opening round of the PSAC Tournament before going 2-1 in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
 
SRU most recently defeated a nationally ranked opponent with a 2-1 home victory over No. 18 Mercyhurst University last season.
 
CLEAN SHEETS
Slippery Rock finished its regular season with shutouts in four of its last five matches. That stretch run began with a scoreless draw against No. 23 IUP, a game in which The Rock outshot the Crimson Hawks, 15-7.
 
The Rock also cruised to a 2-0 win over Clarion Oct. 26 and ended the year with two straight blank slates. SRU beat California (Pa.) in a 1-0 road battle before its convincing 4-0 result against Edinboro last week.
 
In those four games, SRU's opponents have averaged just 5.3 shots, 3.3 shots on goal and 3.3 corner kicks per game.
 
SOPHIA FINDING A RHYTHM
Palermo has recorded seven points in the last two games on three goals and one assist. In that time, the sophomore from Wexford, Pennsylvania has totaled eight shots with three landing on target.
 
Palermo also enters Tuesday on a seven-game streak of taking at least one shot. She has registered at least one shot in all but three games this season. Palermo ranks third in the conference and 30^th nationally in Division II with a shot accuracy of 62.2 percent.
 
SCORING PLENTY OF GOALS
SRU has put seven goals in the back of the net in its last three wins, now ranking seventh in the PSAC with 1.7 goals per game.
 
Slippery Rock's 4-0 win over Edinboro marked its third win of at least four goals this year. Through its two meetings with the Fighting Scots, The Rock outscored Edinboro 10-0 this season.
 
The Rock saw three of those goals get recorded in the first 43 minutes of that game, marking the first time that SRU has scored three goals in the first half since its 3-2 victory over Indiana (Pa.) last year.
 
READY FOR A ROAD TEST
Five of Slippery Rock's eight wins of the season have come in away games, bolstering a 5-3-1 road record. The Rock are 4-1 in their last five away games, a span that includes back-to-back 6-0 victories at Edinboro and Clarion Sept. 25 and 28.
 
While SRU did fall to IUP in its previous road game this year, The Rock outshot the Crimson Hawks 10-9 and took six of the match's nine corner kicks.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
Slippery Rock has not allowed a goal since Oct. 30, thanks in large part to its staunch defense. Diffenbacher, Smith, Zacharyasz, Irene Doleno and Nina King all aided in the defensive third against Edinboro, a game in which The Rock held the Fighting Scots to just four shots on goal and one corner kick.
 
LEAH GETTING IT DONE
Allman is one of 27 goalies in all of Division II to have earned eight shutouts this year, ready for her second career PSAC Tournament appearance after allowing just two goals in the last five games and only six goals in the last month.
 
The sophomore made four saves against IUP for one of those eight shutouts earlier this season, now with a 2-1-1 career record against the Crimson Hawks. Allman heads into Tuesday with a 0.88 GAA and an .803 save percentage through 17 matches.
 
RECORD WATCH
Patrick and Sarver have both solidified themselves in the top 15 all-time in shots attempted. Sarver ranks ninth with 147 shots, while Patrick remains 14^th with 121. Sarver is now only one shot behind a tie for eighth with Kayla Swope at 148 total shot attempts.
 
With another point against Edinboro, Patrick has gone from 17^th to 12^th in all-time points over the course of the last three matches. Patrick now has 63 points on 16 goals and 31 assists, tied with Andrea Felix's 22 goals and 19 assists from 2013-16.
 
Allman became the eighth different Slippery Rock women's soccer player to reach 20 wins in net with The Rock's win over Edinboro. She is now tied for seventh all-time with Sarah Lacy (2005-09). That's halfway to Dana O'Neill's program-leading 40 wins.
 
With a start in net against IUP, Allman will enter a tie for fifth all-time with Amanda Wier by having started 37 games as Slippery Rock's goalie. Emma Yoder leads that category in school history with 63 starts from 2018-22.
 
THE CRIMSON HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 11-1-4
PSAC West Record: 9-1-4
Home Record: 5-1-1
Away Record: 5-0-3
PSAC West Rank: 2^nd of 8
Streak: D1
Last Five: 4-0-1
Head Coach: Noreen Herlihy | Third season at IUP (21-14-16, .569)
 
INDIANA SCOUTING REPORT
The Crimson Hawks are seeking their first PSAC Tournament win since a 1-0 victory over Mercyhurst in 2009. IUP has put together its best season in over a decade by losing just one game all year – a 2-1 loss to Edinboro Oct. 5 at home.
 
IUP has allowed just eight goals all year, boasting the third best scoring defense in the PSAC and the 19^th best defensive third in Division II. Makenna Yarrow has played all 1,440 available minutes in net, posting 10 shutouts and making 63 saves. Yarrow ranks third in the PSAC and 24^th in D-II with a 0.50 GAA. Her .887 save percentage is ninth nationally.
 
Offensively, Hannah Scardina has led the way with 24 points on 10 goals and four assists. The Indiana, Pennsylvania local ranks fourth in the PSAC in goalscoring with two of her 10 goals coming against Slippery Rock.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
If Slippery Rock defeats IUP Tuesday, it will play either Shepherd or Bloomsburg Friday in the PSAC Tournament Semifinals. The highest remaining seed in the PSAC West will host the remainder of the conference postseason.





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