SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University men's soccer sophomore Ryan Hanes scored his first career goal in the 85^th minute to secure a 2-2 draw against Seton Hill University Friday at James Egli Field.
 
As a result, The Rock will host a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Tournament game for the first time since their PSAC Championship-winning season in 2015. That game will be played 2 p.m. Nov. 11 at James Egli Field.
 
As the two-seed in the PSAC West, The Rock will either host Seton Hill or Lock Haven University. SRU will know its opponent after all PSAC games finish Friday evening.
 
Regardless of playoff implications, Slippery Rock's draw caps off one of the best seasons in the last decade. SRU finishes the regular season with an 8-4-4 overall record that includes a 5-2-3 mark in the PSAC West. The Griffins, who will be scoreboard watching Friday night, finish the regular season at 10-4-4 overall and 5-2-3 in PSAC West play.
 
The Rock had to fight back from a pair of one-goal deficits, first answering a ninth-minute Seton Hill goal with a 36^th minute goal from Aitor Jorde. The Griffins jumped back ahead in the 81^st minute but were silenced again by Hanes' 85^th-minute strike. Luke Gildea and Aashi Pandher each recorded an assist.
 
Slippery Rock only took six shots in the match with four coming off the foot of Jorde, who placed three of those attempts on target. Hanes and Arturo Pla Hernandis each registered one shot. Adam Davies made three saves in net against 13 Seton Hill shots.
 
Seton Hill's Toby Dance fired a shot in the ninth minute that Davies was able to stop, with Nils Heinrich slotting the rebound into the net to take a 1-0 lead. The Griffins went down a man in the 21^st minute due to a red card.
 
Pandher found himself with the ball in the defensive third in the 35^th minute, looping a high-arching pass downfield to Jorde. While Seton Hill's goalie beat Jorde to the ball, it was at the top of the box, and the keeper was unable to settle it with his feet. Jorde lurked around the goalie with the ball, scoring on the empty net to tie the match at 1-1.
 
That play went into the books as the final shot of the first half with the teams playing even through 45 minutes.
 
The Rock and the Griffins traded offensive possessions through much of the second half with Seton Hill eating up the majority of the clock. The Griffins broke through in the 81^st minute when Ron Klinger finished off a free kick cross sent in by Brice Gandhi.
 
Down 2-1 with 9:02 remaining, Slippery Rock knew it would only clinch the PSAC Tournament with a win or draw. Gildea found himself picking up a loose ball in the box with less than six minutes remaining, sending a cross in front of the net where Hanes punched it in at the back post to knot the game back up at 2-2.
 
Seton Hill won two more corners and took another shot, but picked up its second red card in the 90^th minute after the Griffins were unable to net a third go-ahead goal.
 
The Griffins were able to maintain leads in shots (13-6), shots on goal (5-4) and corner kicks (9-3) despite the result. Julian Marker posted a team-high four shots for Seton Hill, while Jonathan Leary made two saves in net.
 
Slippery Rock's PSAC Tournament appearance 2 p.m. Nov. 11 will mark its first overall trip to the PSAC Tournament since 2019.





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