Box Score

INDIANA, PA – With just 13 seconds remaining in the third overtime period, Alexa Lodovici (Voorhees, NJ/Eastern Regional) scored a sudden death goal to give the IUP lacrosse team an 18-17 win over Bloomsburg in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) action Friday afternoon.

Trailing 17-16 after the first overtime period, Colleen Berlin (Baltimore, MD/Institute of Notre Dame) scored with under a minute to play in the second overtime to knot the game at 17-17 and force a third, sudden death period. With neither team able to break through and the game headed for a fourth overtime, Lodovici fired a strike past the Bloomsburg goalie to send the crowd at Miller Stadium into a frenzy.

Despite the late-game excitement from the Crimson Hawks, it was Bloomsburg who would take control early, sprinting out to a 4-1 lead after a pair of goals from Samantha King and scores by Julie Falk and Maggie Canavan.

IUP would respond, however, as Beth Glasshagel (Coram, NY/Newfield) deposited back-to-back goals to cut the lead to just one with 14:22 to play in the half. The Crimson Hawks would tie the game at 5-5 just moments later when Lodovici and Stephanie Bianco (King of Prussia/Upper Merion) scored, but Julie Falk would answer with a pair of goals to lead by two with 7:25 to play in the first.

The Huskies would extend their lead to as much as five early in the second half when they went on a 3-0 run that stretched from the end of the first half, but Bianco would halt the surge with a goal to cut the lead to 12-8 with 25:13 to play in the second.

Bloomsburg would extend its lead back to five just moments later when Sam Mazzie scored on a free position shot, but the Crimson Hawks would fight back. IUP notched four consecutive goals over the next seven minutes to pull within one with 15:41 to play in regulation.

Moments later, Julie Falk would score a pair of goals give the Huskies a 15-12 lead, but Glasshagel would sandwich a Lodovici score with two goals of her own to tie the game for the first time since the 11:18 mark of the first half. The Crimson Hawks had several scoring chances late in the period, but were unable to tally the game-winner in regulation.

The IUP defense was stellar in the second half, forcing 12 turnovers and holding the Huskies scoreless in the final 13 minutes of regulation.

Bloomsburg would take a 16-15 lead less than a minute into the first overtime period when Patrice Coleman scored off of an assist from Falk, but Bianco would deposit a goal for the Crimson Hawks just seconds later to knot the game at 16-16.

After Bianco and Lindsay Kupferschmidt traded goals to set up the sudden death third overtime period, it was Lodovici who capped a wild finish and vaulted the Crimson Hawks into first place in the PSAC.

Lodovici finished with four goals and four assists, while Glasshagel notched a team-high five goals on just five shots. Berlin added four goals for the Crimson Hawks, while Bianco notched three goals and an assist.

Falk led the way for Bloomsburg with a game-high seven goals and an assist, while King and Mazzie both chipped in three goals.

The Crimson Hawks are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on East Stroudsburg at Miller Stadium. Game time is set for 1:00 p.m.