NCAA Tournament Central - Gannon | NCAA Tournament Bracket | Tickets
 

No. 18 Slippery Rock vs. RV Frostburg State
The Rock (15-3-3)	Bobcats (16-2-3)
Roster	Roster
Schedule	Schedule
Statistics	Statistics
Coach Noreen Herlihy	Coach Brian Parker
Program Records	Program Records
NCAA Tournament Central - Gannon
Tickets
McConnell Family Stadium
NCAA Tournament Bracket
NCAA Tournament Scores

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – The 18^th ranked Slippery Rock University women's soccer team travels to Erie for its first NCAA Tournament contest since 2019 as it takes on Frostburg State University noon Friday at McConnell Family Stadium. The winner takes on No. 8 Gannon University Sunday in the Second Round.

WATCH LIVE
Fans can watch Friday's game live for free via the links below provided by Gannon Athletic Communications and the NCAA.

TICKETS
Fans can purchase tickets on the Gannon's NCAA Tournament Central website page or at this LINK provided by the NCAA. All entry at McConnell Family Stadium will require tickets with all transactions being cashless. Adult ticket prices are $15, while tickets for students from member institutions with valid I.D and children ages 2-12 are $8. Children under the age of 2 shall be admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult. It is advised to purchase tickets prior to arriving, however, tickets will be available for purchase on site.  

FAN INFORMATION
Fan information including a visitor's guide, directions to Gannon University and a campus map have been provided with the link HERE.

NCAA Tournament First Round
Opponent: RV Frostburg State
Date: Friday – Noon
Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Venue: McConnell Family Stadium
Live Video: Link
Live Stats: Link
In-Game Updates: X (@Rock_Athletics)
All-Time Series: 1-1-0
Current Streak: W1
Last Played: Sept. 5, 2026 (SRU won 1-0)

SERIES HISTORY
Slippery Rock and Frostburg State played for the first time last season in Maryland, where the Bobcats scored twice in the first half and held off The Rock for a 2-1 finish. Slippery Rock won the two side's second ever contest, which was held this season, ending with a 1-0 Rock victory at James Egli Field.

THE FIRST TIME AROUND
Slippery Rock emerged victorious in its last non-conference game of the season with a 1-0 win over Frostburg State, via a 53^rd minute game-winner from Sophia Palermo, Sept. 5 at James Egli Field.

Palermo scored the lone goal in the matchup just eight minutes into the second half.

Lilia Battalini paced The Rock with five shots, as well as three shots goal. Palermo (3), along with Peyton Los (2), Abby Paterline (2) and Miley Kariotis (2) took multiple shots, while Jilly Deivert also took one shot for SRU.

Leah Allman made seven saves in her first clean sheet of the season in the 36th victory of her career. The Rock goalkeeper made seven saves for the seventh in her career.

Frostburg State outshot Slippery Rock 20-15 overall, including 7-5 in shots on goal. SRU finished the game with seven saves compared to FSU's three and each team took six corner kicks.

TOP ACTIVE SRU PLAYERS AGAISNT FROSTBURG STATE
Sophia Palermo – 2 GP: 1 G, 3 SH, 2 SOG, 146 MIN
Abby Paterline – 2 GP: 1 G, 4 SH, 1 SOG, 113 MIN
Leah Allman – 2 GP: 1-1-0, 10 SV, 2 GA, 180 MIN
Lilia Battalini – 2 GP: 5 SH, 3 SOG, 85 MIN
 

TEAM COMPARISON
The Rock	2026 Stats	Bobcats
15-3-3	Overall Record	16-2-3
13-1-2	Conference Record	13-1-2
2.29	Goals per Game	2.19
0.76	Opp. Goals per Game	0.33
+32	Season Goal Differential	+39
17.0	Shots per Game	16.9
7.8	Opp. Shots per Game	8.4
8.0	SOG per Game	8.5
3.5	Opp. SOG per Game	4.0
2.0	Assists per Game	2.0
5.7	Corners per Game	6.2
6.9	Fouls per Game	7.8
2.7	Saves per Game	3.7

NCAA TOURNAMENT SETUP – ATLANTIC REGION
• Gannon and Frostburg State received automatic qualifiers by winner the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and Mountain East Conference Championships, respectively. The other five teams in the Atlantic Region were chosen and ranked by their NPI. The NCAA Power Index (NPI) is a rankings system used in Division II and Division III to evaluate team performance. NPI considers game results and the strength of opponents to calculate a team's NPI value and ranking.

NPI calculations update throughout the season as teams play additional contests and opponent NPI values change. A team's final NPI is not determined until the final games and rankings of the season are complete.

The NPI takes place of the NCAA's previous regional rankings system and will determine the at-large teams selected to the championship after the automatic qualifiers have been decided.

For more information on the NCAA Power Index click HERE.
 
• First Round: No. 5 Slippery Rock will take on No. 4 Frostburg State, while No. 2 Kutztown University faces off with No. 7 Point Park University and No. 3 Fairmont State University plays No. 6 West Chester University. No. 1 Gannon receives a first-round bye.
 
• Second Round: No. 1 Gannon will face off with the winner between No. 5 Slippery Rock and No. 4 Frostburg State, while the winners between No. 2 Kutztown/No. 7 Point Park and No. 3 Fairmont State/No. 6 West Chester will play each other in the second round. 
 
• Third Round/Regional Final: The final two teams in the region will play at the higher seed for a chance to book their trip to the quarterfinals. 

WHO'S IN
Three nationally ranked teams (No. 8 Gannon, No. 18 Slippery Rock and No. 20 Kutztown) earned their way into the tournament. The other four teams were Frostburg State, West Chester, Fairmont State and Point Park, with the first three teams receiving votes in the national poll.

HOW THEY GOT HERE
Slippery Rock enters the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 seed in the Atlantic Region as the PSAC Tournament runner ups. The Rock hold a 15-3-3 record overall and have only suffered defeat once since Sept. 19.

Frostburg State holds a 16-2-3 record overall as the MEC Champion as well as the MEC North champ in the regular season. One of the Bobcats two losses this season came to Slippery Rock, with its second loss coming Sept. 20 at Point Park, 1-0.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Slippery Rock will be making its 11^th overall appearance in the Division II Playoffs and its first since 2019. SRU was a staple in the NCAA Tournament from 2001-13, making nine appearances in the 13-year span. Slippery Rock has a 10-10 record all-time in the national tournament.

The Rock's furthest run into the NCAA Tournament came in 2013, as SRU claimed its first and only Regional Championship with wins over Shippensburg University and California (Pa.) before falling to American International College in the quarterfinals.

ROCK BY THE NUMBERS | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
Overall Record: 15-3-3
PSAC West Record: 13-1-2
Home Record: 9-1-2
Away Record: 6-2-1
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Noreen Herlihy | 22^nd season overall at SRU (277-120-34, .682) | 32^nd season overall (332-213-66, .597)
            Alma Mater: Mercyhurst '92

LAST TIME OUT
No. 23 Slippery Rock fell in overtime, 1-0, to Gannon University in the PSAC Championship Game Nov. 8 at James Egli Field.

Brooklyn Respecki scored in the game-winner for Gannon just four minutes into overtime to give the Golden Knights their first PSAC Championship.

Battalini and Los each took two shots to lead Slippery Rock as Deivert, Bella Gianfrancesco, Bailey McGee, Jordyn Constable, Libby Earley and Molly Interthal each took one shot for SRU.

Allman made four saves in goal for Slippery Rock, increasing her career total to 231 career saves.

Slippery Rock ended the game with an advantage in saves (5-2), while Gannon had more shots (15-10) and shots on goal (6-2).

THE ROCK IN THE TOP 25
The United Soccer Coaches (USC) released their final national poll Tuesday before the end of the season poll. The Rock moved up the poll this week from No. 23 to No. 18. This is Slippery Rock's highest ranking since 2014, with a ranking of No. 7. With its place, Slippery Rock has been ranked in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2013-14. SRU was No. 23 as its highest in the USC poll last season. To see the full top 25 click HERE.

PSAC WEST CHAMPS
This year's PSAC West title was Slippery Rock's second consecutive and sixth regular season championship in program history. Slippery Rock (41) finished the regular season two points clear of Gannon (38).

LEADING THE ROCK
Paterline and McGee lead The Rock in points with 18 apiece. Paterline has seven goals and four assists, while McGee sports five goals and eight assists. Battalini sits in third with 17 points on seven goals and three assists, while Palermo rounds out Slippery Rock's top four point scorers with 16 points on seven goals and two assists.

Deivert (5), Los (4), Gianna Revetta (2), Eden Williams (2), and Summer Hill (2) each have multiple goals, while, Constable, Leah Walter, Lindsey Price, Chloe Flynn, Addison Bell and  Irene Doleno each have one goal for The Rock.

McGee paces SRU in assists with five, while Paterline and Williams trail the senor with four helpers each. Price (3), Earley (3), Los (3), Deivert (2) and Revetta (2) all have multiple assists as well.

Palermo leads the charge with 55 shots, followed by Deivert with 53 shots as well as Battalini and McGee, with 38 shots each.

Madisyn Sedor, a crucial part of Slippery Rock's backline, leads all Rock field players with 1,653 minutes played respectively (78.7 mpg).

IN GOAL FOR THE ROCK
Allman leads Slippery Rock in all goalkeeper statistics after starting all 20 games. Allman has a 0.70 goals against average with a .778 save percentage on 49 saves and eight clean sheets.

Rosie Willmott Joyce has appeared in three games and made four saves in 73 minutes of play, while Allie Burkholder has appeared in two games, totaling 32 minutes.

AMONG THE BEST IN THE NATION … AND THE PSAC
* PSAC RANKS IN ITALIC
With the conclusion of the regular season and start of the NCAA Tournament, Slippery Rock as a team and individually, ranks near the top of numerous leaderboards throughout the nation and the PSAC ranks.

Team:
Total points: 14^th – 137 – 3^rd
Total goals: 16^th – 48 – 3^rd
Total assists: 16^th – 41 – 2^nd
Goal differential: 22^nd – +32 – 3^rd
Scoring offense: 24^th – 2.29 – 4^th

Individual:
Goalie minutes played Leah Allman – 8^th – 1,807 – 1^st
Game-winning goals: Abby Paterline – 9^th – 6 – 4^th
Total assists: Bailey McGee – 25^th – 8 – 3^rd
Game-winning goals: Sophia Palermo – 27^th – 4 – 6^th
Goals against average: Leah Allman – 45^th– 0.70 – 3^rd

SURGING UP THE RECORD BOOK
Allman is approaching numerous records among Slippery Rock goalkeepers. The senior currently sits inside the top five in four different categories (goalie games started, saves, wins and shutouts). Allman is Slippery Rock's leader in goalie wins with 48, shutouts with 30 and career goalie starts with 76. Allman is also 19 saves away from first place.  

RECORD WATCH
Leah Allman – First in games started as a goalie with 76
Leah Allman – First in wins with 48
Leah Allman – First in shutouts with 30
Leah Allman – Second in saves with 231 – 19 saves away from first
Sophia Palermo – T-8 on game winning goals with eight – one away from T-7
Abby Paterline – T-8 on game-winning goals with eight – one away from T-7

BOBCATS BY THE NUMBERS | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
Overall Record: 16-2-3
MEC North Record: 13-1-2
Home Record: 10-0-2
Away Record: 6-2-1
Streak: W2
Head Coach: Brian Parker | 25^th season at Frostburg State (316-132-55, .683)
            Alma Mater: Frostburg State '92

RV FROSTBURG STATE SCOUTING REPORT
The Bobcats enter the matchup with The Rock as the MEC Champion after defeating Fairmont State in the MEC title game, 4-1. Frostburg State jumped into the receiving votes section of the national poll this week.

In the regular season, FSU claimed the MEC North title with a 13-1-2 divisional record. Frostburg State was undefeated at home (10-0-2) with its two losses coming on the road (6-2-1). Both Slippery Rock and Frostburg State have not played a neutral site game this season.

Junior forwards Cassidy Paige and Mollie Rebuck lead Frostburg State in points with 25 and 20, respectively. Paige and Rebuck were the only Bobcat players to reach 20 or more points, with three other players reach 10 or more points (Rayiah Davis, Kelly Dougherty and Reese Rizzo).

Senior goalkeeper Mia Graff has started 18 games and appeared in 20 this season for the Bobcats. Graff has a 14-2-3 record with a 0.22 GAA and a .939 save percentage with 10 solo clean sheets.

WINNER GETS NO. 8 GANNON
The winner between Slippery Rock and Frostburg State will advance to the second round and face off with No. 8 Gannon. Slippery Rock has a 0-1-2 record against the Golden Knights this season, while the Bobcats have not faced Gannon in 2026.

GOLDEN KNIGHTS BY THE NUMBERS | ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
Overall Record: 16-2-3
PSAC West Record: 10-2-1
Home Record: 7-1-1
Away Record: 8-1-2
Neutral Site Record: 1-0-0
Streak: W5
Head Coach: Colin Petersen | 25^th season at Gannon (253-169-49, .589)
            Alma Mater: Gannon '01

NO. 8 GANNON SCOUTING REPORT
The Golden Knights enter their second round matchup with holding a 16-2-3 record overall, as well as in the midst of an 18-game unbeaten streak. The last time Gannon tasted defeat was Sept. 5 at Indiana University (Pa.) in a 2-1 contest.

Senior Forward Brooklyn Respecki leads Gannon with 35 points on 13 goals and nine assists. This is Respecki's fourth-straight season with at least 10 goals for the Golden Knights. Grace Emanuel is second on Gannon with seven goal and 11 assists, as the only Gannon player with 10 or more helpers. Olivia Dixon rounds out the Golden Knights' top three scorers with 13 points on five goals and three assists.

Sophomore goalkeeper Alwa Wennstroem has started 16 games for Gannon and holds a 14-0-2 record as a starter. Wennstroem has a 0.45 GAA with an .811 save percentage on 36 saves and seven goals allowed, which two have come against Slippery Rock.

LOOKING AHEAD
It's win or go home for everyone involved in the NCAA Tournament, with the winner of the top half of the bracket in the Atlantic Region will advance to play either Kutztown, Point Park, West Chester or Fairmont State in the Atlantic Region Final.



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