Box Score

INDIANA, PA - Goalkeeper Mara Hricik (Moon Twp./Moon) led IUP to its third victory in a row with five saves in a defensive battle against Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) rival Gannon. The Crimson Hawks only needed one score to beat Gannon 1-0 as each team played excellent defense.

IUP outshot Gannon 6-3 in the first half, with two shots coming off of corner kicks. In past matchups corner kicks have spelled success for the Crimson Hawks, but the wind played a factor in holding the balls away from the net in most instances.

In an odd turn of events, the only goal of the game was scored by a Golden Knights defender on their own goal. In the 39th minute of the game, IUP's Brittany Kuhns dribbled the ball past two defenders and crossed from the left side of the field, the ball arched towards a row of Gannon defenders and rolled into the net off of a deflection for what would be the only goal of the game.

IUP continued to outshoot Gannon in the beginning of the second half, but Golden Knights' goalkeeper Sarah Geffel was determined to hold strong on her way to compiling six saves in the game. Struggling to find the net, the Crimson Hawks decided to drop into a defensive mode for the remainder of the game.

With IUP playing prevent defense, Gannon mustered three shots in the final ten minutes the Crimson Hawks' defense held strong as none made it past Hricik. A corner kick in the 87th minute was the last chance Gannon had to tie up the game, but the IUP defense was able to clear out the ball and hold off till the end.

IUP improves to 8-6-1 overall and 6-6-1 in the PSAC. The Crimson Hawks will head to Erie on Saturday to take on Mercyhurst at 3 p.m. IUP's last home game will be November 2 against Bloomsburg. IUP will honor their seniors during the final home game.