ERIE, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University women's soccer team came out on the wrong side of the highest-scoring game in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament history, dropping a 5-4 semifinal decision to No. 14 Shepherd University Friday night at Gannon University.
 
The result puts an end to SRU's conference postseason run that began with a 2-1 upset win at No. 23 Indiana University (Pa.) earlier this week. The loss moves Slippery Rock's overall record on the year to 9-6-4.
 
The nationally ranked Rams will see their first PSAC Tournament appearance culminate in the championship round 1 p.m. Sunday against PSAC East foe Kutztown University. Shepherd's comeback win improves the Rams' best season in program history to a 15-1-4 record.
 
Sydney Patrick (6'), Morgan Sarver (22'), Olivia Yoder (41') and Libby Zacharyasz (86') piled on the goals for SRU. Shepherd equalized the game three times (9', 37', 59') before scoring two goals within 56 seconds in the 66^th and 67^th minutes to take a 5-3 lead. The Rock got one back with 4:51 remaining, but Shepherd held on for the one-goal win.
 
Patrick and Faith Diffenbacher recorded assists for Slippery Rock. Sarver put a team-high three of four shots on target with Patrick landing one of her three shots on frame. Diffenbacher, Yoder and Zacharyasz all took two shots with one shot apiece coming from Maddie DeLucio, Irene Doleno and Sophia Palermo. Leah Allman made six saves for SRU.
 
Slippery Rock came out of the gates firing with an unanswered run of three shots and three corner kicks. SRU's third corner of the game kicked back out to Patrick, who fired in a goal from the corner of the box to take a 1-0 lead.
 
The Rams answered on the next play of the game with a tying goal by Sarah Peternel in the ninth minute that leveled the match at 1-1.
 
After Patrick skidded a shot across the crossbar in the 22^nd minute, Sarver found herself punching the ball in at the far post to grant Slippery Rock a 2-1 lead. Shepherd slowly regained some offensive momentum, tying the game again in the 37^th minute on a goal from Annabelle Wunderlich.
 
It was Slippery Rock's turn for a swift response just 4:03 later. Yoder intercepted a goal kick from Shepherd keeper Hannah Wilt, launching the ball over her head to take a 3-2 lead into halftime.
 
Shepherd pounced early in the second half when a string of four unanswered shots resulted in a penalty kick goal converted by Wunderlich just 3:05 into the frame. Wunderlich earned the hat trick in the 66^th minute to give Shepherd its first lead of the game, 4-3.
 
Josie Beezel added a fifth goal for the Rams less than a minute later to open the margin up to 5-3.
 
The Rock were only able to muster one shot in the final 31 mintues of the game, but it came on a header that Zacharyasz scored by reeling in a Diffenbacher free kick in the 86^th minute.
 
Shepherd was able to play keep-away for the final four minutes to punch its ticket to the PSAC Championship. Wilt made five saves for the Rams, while Peternel, Wunderlich and Reagan Ackermann led Shepherd with four shots each.
 
Thanks in large part to a 12-2 second-half difference, Shepherd outshot Slippery Rock, 19-16. The Rams held a narrow 11-9 advantage in shots on goal, while Slippery Rock took six of the match's 11 corner kicks.
 
SRU's season is likely finished with the semifinal loss, as The Rock were not included in this week's NCAA Division II Atlantic Region rankings. Those rankings did not factor in Slippery Rock's PSAC Tournament games.
 
The NCAA D-II Selection Committee will reveal its final national tournament selections 7 p.m. Monday. Regardless of Slippery Rock's at-large fate, The Rock women's soccer team and head coach Jessica Giegucz have continued a monumental streak of posting a winning record in the 28^th straight year in which a full season was played.





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