Boxscore

Kelly Brennan (Middletown/Middletown) made 14 saves including two in the final minute of regulation, and IUP held on to gain a 0-0 tie with defending Atlantic Region champion California in the PSAC opener for both teams Wednesday.

The tie snapped a four-game losing streak for the Crimson Hawks against the Vulcans, who are ranked seventh in the nation in the National Soccer Coaches Association poll. It was the first meeting between the teams since California eliminated IUP in the third round of the NCAA tournament last November.

Brennan prevented the Vulcans from winning the game with just 22 seconds left in regulation when she stopped a penalty shot by Sam Regney and then saved a rebound shot by Regney just seconds later.

California outshot IUP 26-9 and held an 8-5 advantage in corner kicks. The Vulcans kept the pressure on for most the final 45 minutes of regulation and the two 10-minute overtime periods, outshooting IUP 18-5 in that span including 6-0 in the extra periods.

The Crimson Hawks had several good scoring chances, including a pair of shots by Melissa Kornock (Hatfield/North Penn) and Viann Heder (Vandergrift/Kiski Area) that hit the post in the early stages of the second half. Paula Jackson made three saves for California.

IUP returns home to face Shippensburg Saturday at 1 p.m. in another PSAC contest. The conference is not split into divisions this year, and every school that sponsors women's soccer plays each other one time during the regular season.