SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University field hockey team maintained its perfect record in the early stages of the 2025 season with a 2-1 victory over Pace University Sunday at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium.
The non-conference win improves The Rock's record to 2-0 on the year while the visiting Setters fall to 0-2. Slippery Rock has now started the year with consecutive wins in both of the last two seasons.
Coral Piramo and
Lucy Hutchinson accounted for The Rock's goals in the win on respective assists from
Grace Williams and
Hilary Hoffman. Piramo's strike was the first of her career while Hutchinson has now tallied game-winning goals in each of the first two games of the season.
Goalkeeper
Leah Riegling played all 60 minutes with one save in the victory.
As a team, Slippery Rock held advantages over Pace in total shots (10-6) and shots on goal (5-2) and while the Setters edged SRU in penalty corners (5-3), The Rock were able to clear all of Pace's prime scoring opportunities as their solid back line is yet to allow a goal from a corner this year.
Slippery Rock controlled possession for the majority of the opening half, producing six shots in the opening 30 minutes with the final attempt being Piramo's goal.
The Rock's first goal of the day was set up by
Riley Cloude, who fired in a centering pass from 20 yards out to the center the circle. Cloude's pass was received by Williams, who in turn produced a perfect pass of her own which led to Piramo slipping a shot past Pace goalie Morgan Strecker with 1:22 to play in the first half.
SRU's one-goal advantage held going into halftime, the duration of the third quarter and six minutes into the fourth quarter before the Setters found the equalizer by way of an Anne Kopec goal.
However, The Rock re-gained the lead just three minutes later when Hutchinson sent a shot over the outstretched arms of Strecker for the go-ahead goal with 5:11 remaining in regulation.
SRU's defense promptly closed out the game by clearing two corners and getting in the way of a pair of Pace shots over the final five minutes for the 2-1 victory.
Slippery Rock now embarks on a season-long four-game road trip starting 12 p.m. Sept. 13 at Lander University. A victory over Lander would mark the sixth 3-0 start to a season in program history, and the first since 2018.
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