TICKETS   |   PSAC Tournament Central
 
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. — The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team's hunt for a fifth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship will continue 6 p.m. Friday when The Rock go head-to-head with No. 14 Shepherd University in the PSAC Semifinals in Erie, Pennsylvania.
 
The Rock have won their last three straight games including a thrilling PSAC Quarterfinal victory over No. 23 IUP that took 19 minutes of overtime to decide. SRU enters with a 9-5-4 overall record, while Shepherd – which earned the top seed in the PSAC East – comes in with a 14-1-4 mark on the season.
 
WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Friday's game live for free via the links below provided by Gannon Media Relations.
 
TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets on the PSAC Tournament Central website page or at this LINK provided by the PSAC. All entry at Gannon 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 Semifinals
Opponent: Shepherd
Date: Friday – 6 p.m.
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Venue: McConnell Family Stadium
Live Video: PSAC Sports Digital Network
Live Stats: Gannon Media Relations
In-game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 0-0-1
Current Streak: D1
Last Played: Sept. 6, 2024 at Shepherd (Tied, 1-1)
 
TOP ACTIVE SRU CAREER STATS vs. SHEPHERD
Sydney Patrick – 2 points on 1 goal, 3 shots, 3 SOG (1 GP)
Sydney Smith – 1 point on 1 assist, 1 shot, 1 SOG (1 GP)
Olivia Yoder – 3 shots, 2 SOG (1 GP)
Sophia Palermo – 2 shots, 2 SOG (1 GP)
Leah Allman – (0-0-1), 1.00 GAA, 7 saves on 16 SF (1 GP)
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Rock and the Rams met for the first time in program history Sept. 6, 2024 in SRU's season opener, playing to a 1-1 draw in Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
 
Sydney Patrick tallied an eighth-minute goal for SRU off a feed from Sydney Smith's first career assist, but the Rams answered with a 30^th-minute equalizer that leveled the scoreline at 1-1 for the rest of the match.
 
Shepherd wound up earning a narrow 16-14 edge in shots with shots on goal going level at 7-7. Leah Allman matched a then-career-high seven saves, facing the 16 Shepherd shots.
 

TEAM COMPARISON
THE ROCK	Stats	SHEPHERD
9-5-4	Overall Record	14-1-4
8-3-3	Conference Record	13-1-2
1.7	Goals per Game	2.0
0.9	Opp. Goals per Game	0.5
+15	Season Goal Differential	+29
16.3	Shots per Game	13.9
10.6	Opp. Shots per Game	7.2
8.2	SOG per Game	8.2
4.8	Opp. SOG per Game	3.4
1.6	Assists per Game	1.7
6.9	Corners per Game	3.9
7.5	Fouls per Game	7.3
3.9	Saves per Game	2.9

 
THE ROCK BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 9-5-4
PSAC West Record: 8-3-3
Home Record: 3-2-3
Away Record: 6-3-1
Streak: W3
Last Five: 4-1
PSAC West Rank: 3^rd of 8
Head Coach: Jessica Giegucz | 10^th season at SRU (104-47-24, .663)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
LAST TIME OUT
Slippery Rock rallied to a 2-1 overtime thriller in the PSAC Quarterfinals Nov. 12 at Indiana University (Pa.). The 23^rd-ranked Crimson Hawks took a 1-0 lead into halftime after a 32^nd-minute goal, but the two teams needed extra time to resolve the knockout match after Nina King scored her first career goal off a rebounded free kick in the 65^th minute.
 
Through an otherwise even overtime session, The Rock earned the victory when Maddie DeLucio sent a perfect through-ball forward to a Morgan Sarver breakway. Sarver was able to slot it past the goalie in the 109^th minute to keep Slippery Rock's postseason hopes alive.
 
Sarver led the team with five shots and three shots on goal, while Faith Diffenbacher put two of her four total attempts on frame.
 
Allman made a career-high nine saves up against 17 IUP shots. SRU outshot Indiana 24-17 with a 12-10 edge in shots on goal. IUP took five of the game's nine corner kicks.
 
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. Sophia Palermo's season tally continues to climb, up to 13 points on five goals and three assists.
 
Those five goals rank just one spot behind Sarver's six goals for most on the team. Sarver is now matched with Bailey McGee, who recorded 12 points on four goals and four assists.
 
A career day that included a goal and an assist pushed Olivia Yoder up to seven points on the season with two goals and three assists in total. DeLucio has also tallied seven points on two goals and three assists, while Skylar Munnikhuysen owns five points on two goals and an assist.
 
Libby Zacharyasz has netted two goals for four points ahead of Diffenbacher, King and Balazentis who each have two points. Balazentis has logged two assists, while Diffenbacher and King have one goal. Kierstyn Maxey and Sydney Smith round out the 12 players with points with one assist each.
 
Palermo and Sarver both lead the team with 40 shots apiece, with Palermo seeing 23 of hers land on net (.575) and Sarver placing 19 shots on target (.475).
 
WHERE THEY STAND
As the third seed in the PSAC West, Slippery Rock next gets paired up with the winner from this week's Shepherd-versus-Bloomsburg University matchup, which Shepherd won, 2-1. The Rock and the Rams will play the second of two semifinal matches Friday, following a contest between hosts Gannon University and Kutztown University.
 
Gannon earned the top seed in the PSAC West and cruised to a 3-0 victory over Pitt-Johnstown in the PSAC Quarterfinals at home. Like SRU, Kutztown upset its respective two-seed counterpart West Chester University with a 1-0 road win.
 
The winners of these semifinal fixtures will meet again on the campus of Gannon University 1 p.m. Sunday to determine the 2024 PSAC Champion.
 
ALL-CONFERENCE RECOGNITION
Slippery Rock landed four players on the All-PSAC West team for the fifth consecutive season, the conference office announced Nov. 14. Zacharyasz headlined the quartet with first-team honors, while Diffenbacher, King and Patrick all received second-team all-conference recognition.
 
Zacharyasz's spot on the first team All-PSAC West Team marked the first all-conference honor of her career. The junior from Strongsville, Ohio is strong both on the attack and in SRU's defensive third, scoring two goals while firing 39 shots and 15 shots on target thus far for The Rock.
 
The defensive midfielder has not missed a single minute of play so far this season, scoring against Pitt-Johnstown Sept. 11 and Edinboro Sept. 25. She has also taken at least one shot in 15 of SRU's 18 games.
 
Diffenbacher received second-team All-PSAC West accolades for the second year in a row. Starting all 18 games, the senior from Huron, Ohio scored at Edinboro and took 16 shots including four at IUP in the PSAC Quarterfinals. Diffenbacher helped spearhead SRU's regionally renowned defense that limited opponents to 3.3 corner kicks per game.
 
King's selection to a second team All-PSAC honor bookended a four-year career that featured as many all-conference awards. King has never been left out of the starting lineup in her 74-game career. The Washington, Pennsylvania defender scored her first career goal to tie up the PSAC Quarterfinals with IUP by rebounding her own free kick this week.
 
Patrick broke SRU's all-time assists record by reaching 28 at Edinboro and has since increased that total to 31. Named a second-team all-conference forward for the second year in a row, the team captain from Greensburg, Pennsylvania leads SRU this year with 18 points on four goals and 10 assists, placing 16 of her 23 (.696) shots on target.
 
THE ROCK IN THE PLAYOFFS
Friday will feature Slippery Rock's 34^th all-time PSAC Tournament game in its 14^th consecutive playoff appearance. The Rock are featured in the PSAC Semifinals for the third time in nine years.
 
SRU is 5-5-1 in the PSAC Semifinals, last making it that far in the team's 2019 Championship-winning season. The Rock defeated East Stroudsburg University, 1-0, to advance to the final match where they beat Edinboro in a 2-1 title decision.
 
Shepherd will be the eighth different team in program history The Rock will have seen in the PSAC Semifinals.
 
SRU Women's Soccer PSAC Semifinal Success:
2019: Def. East Stroudsburg, 1-0
2012: Def. East Stroudsburg, 3-0
2007: Def. Edinboro, 2-0
2005: Def. IUP, 1-0
2003: Def. Millersville, 5-2
 
If Slippery Rock beats Shepherd Friday, it will go to the PSAC Championship for the sixth time in school history. SRU is 4-1 all-time in PSAC Championship games, losing only in 2007. The Rock have never seen Gannon in the finals but are 1-0 against Kutztown in the conference title match.
 
SRU Women's Soccer PSAC Championship History:
2019: Def. Edinboro, 2-1
2012: Def. California (Pa.), 3-0
2007: Lost to West Chester, 2-0
2005: Def. Kutztown, 1-0
2003: Def. Lock Haven, 4-3
 
THE ROCK vs. RANKED TEAMS
SRU will be playing a nationally ranked opponent for the sixth time in 2024, coming into Friday with a 1-2-2 record against ranked teams.
 
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. This week's 2-1 win over No. 23 IUP gave The Rock their first ranked win since defeating No. 18 Mercyhurst University last season.
 
SRU last played six nationally ranked teams in the same season in 2011. The Rock posted a 2-3-1 showing against ranked opponents that year, including a 1-1 tie with No. 2 West Chester. The Rock lost to No. 17 Kutztown in the PSAC Semifinals that year before defeating the No. 15 Golden Bears later in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
THE ROCK IN EXTRA TIME
Slippery Rock played its first overtime game since Nov. 6, 2021 this week in its PSAC Quarterfinal victory over IUP. The Rock are now 17-14-34 (.523) all-time in overtime since 2003.
 
A PRIME-TIME TEST
Slippery Rock is 6-4-1 in its last 11 games that have had a kickoff time of 6 p.m. or later, outscoring teams 23-13 in that frame. The Rock have put on some impressive displays under the lights this year, including a 6-0 road win over Edinboro and a narrow 1-0 loss to No. 4 Ashland University at home.
 
THE ROCK vs. THE EAST
SRU is 5-5-2 in its last dozen outings with PSAC East teams. The Rock opened their 2024 season with trips to Shepherd and East Stroudsburg, which marked the program's first PSAC crossover games since 2019.
 
ALL-STARS ON THE ATTACK
• Patrick ranks second in the PSAC and seventh in Division II with 0.6 assists per game.
 
• Patrick also stacks up seventh in the conference with 1.1 points per game.
 
• Palermo ranks fifth in the PSAC with a shot accuracy of 57.5 percent. Her 1.4 shots on goal per game rank 12^th in the league.
 
• As SRU's leading goalscorer, Sarver's six goals are good enough for 13^th in the PSAC.
 
• As a team, Slippery Rock ranks third in the PSAC with 6.9 corner kicks per game, fourth with 5.0 points per game, 1.6 assists per game and 16.3 shots per game. The Rock are fifth in the league with 8.2 shots on goal per game.
 
THE DEFENSIVE THIRD
SRU's defense against IUP was comprised of Diffenbacher, King, Smith, Zacharyasz and Irene Doleno. The group of five limited IUP to just one goal in the 109-minute quarterfinal match. Diffenbacher, King, Smith and Zacharyasz played the entire 109 minutes of the game as well.
 
BETWEEN THE PIPES
Allman looks to mirror one of her best career games Friday, making seven saves against Shepherd early in the year. The sophomore goalkeeper from Olmsted Township, Ohio has recorded eight shutouts this season, carrying a GAA of 0.88 and a save percentage of .814 into Friday's semifinal game.
 
RECORD WATCH
Patrick and Sarver have both solidified themselves in the top 15 all-time in shots attempted. Sarver passed Kayla Swope for eighth with 152 shots, while Patrick remains 14^th with 124. Sarver is now nine shots behind Shelby Ward (2019-22) for seventh with 161 shots.
 
With another point against Edinboro late in the year, Patrick has gone from 17^th to 12^th in all-time points over the course of the team's final three regular season 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 seventh different Slippery Rock women's soccer player to reach 21 wins in net with The Rock's win at IUP. She now has sole possession of seventh all-time, four wins behind Amanda Wier's 25 (2002-03).
 
With a start in net against IUP, Allman entered a tie for fifth all-time with 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 RAMS BY THE NUMBERS
Overall Record: 14-1-4
PSAC West Record: 13-1-2
Home Record: 8-1-1
Away Record: 6-0-3
PSAC East Rank: 1^st of 9
Streak: W7
Last Five: 5-0
Head Coach: Sam Odell | Fifth season at Shepherd (33-25-16, .554)
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
 
SHEPHERD SCOUTING REPORT
The Rams came into 2024 with two winning seasons in program history, going 11-10-1 (.523) in 2005 and 7-5-6 (.556) a year ago. Shepherd has lost just one time this year in a historic 14-1-4 campaign, suffering a 1-0 defeat to West Chester Oct. 9.
 
Since then, the Rams have been undefeated in their most recent nine games, coming into Friday on a seven-game winning streak. Shepherd ended the regular season on a four-game shutout run prior to defeating Bloomsburg in the PSAC Quarterfinals, 2-1. Sarah Peternel scored in the 79^th minute to lift the Rams to their first PSAC playoff win in school history.
 
Shepherd ranks second in the PSAC in several offensive categories including 2.0 goals and 1.7 assists per game. The Rams have also tallied 8.3 shots on goal per game, third in the conference.
 
Junior Lydia Gable leads the team with 29 points on 11 goals and seven assists, racking up 60 shots and 44 shots on goal. Senior Delaney Bittner headlined Shepherd group of seven on the All-PSAC East team as the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Year, while goalkeeper Hannah Wilt was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Year.
 
A redshirt freshman from Saint Leonard, Maryland, Wilt has recorded 10 shutouts on the year and allowed only nine goals for a 0.48 GAA and a .857 save percentage.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
If Slippery Rock defeats Shepherd, it will advance to the PSAC Championship game 1 p.m. Sunday for the sixth time in program history. Regardless of who is in that game, Gannon University will host it as the top seeds in the PSAC West.





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).