GameDay Central No. 8 IUP Crimson Hawks (9-6-3, 8-6-2 PSAC)
at No. 1 East Stroudsburg Warriors (17-1, 15-1)
Tuesday, November 4, 2014 | 1:00 p.m.
Eiler-Martin Stadium | East Stroudsburg, Pa.
Live Stats: ESUWarriors.comINDIANA, PA – The Crimson Hawks head to East Stroudsburg to face the No. 1 seeded Warriors in the opening round of the 2014 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Soccer Championships on Tuesday. Kickoff for Tuesday's match is set for 1 p.m.
IUP enters the conference tournament as the eighth seed, wrapping that spot up with a 1-1 tie in the regular season finale against Mercyhurst. The Crimson Hawks own an 8-6-2 PSAC record, tying Millersville with 26 points in the standings. They own the tiebreaker by virtue of a 2-1 victory over the Marauders back on Sept. 27.
The Crimson Hawks began the season as one of the hottest teams in the region, going 7-1-2 in their first 10 games, and grabbing a No. 16 Division II ranking by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
A midseason swoon, highlighted by losses to ESU and PSAC No. 2 and No. 3 seeds West Chester and Kutztown, along with injuries to key players, dropped IUP down in the standings, but they were able to rebound against Mercyhurst.
The Crimson Hawks are led offensively by one of the top goal scorers in the PSAC,
Brittney Kuhns (Middleburg, Pa. /Midd-West). The senior forward is tied for second in the league with nine goals and has tacked on three more assists for 21 points, which is fourth in the PSAC.
She's received help from a pair of true freshmen forwards in
Victoria Crawford (Port Matilda, Pa. /State College) and
Lexie Palluconi (Penfield, N.Y./Fairport). The duo is second and third on the team in scoring, respectively, combining for nine goals and seven assists on the year. Crawford's season got off to a bang in the season-opener with a hat trick against Lock Haven and had a four-game scoring streak in which she tallied three goals and three assists.
Senior midfielder
Taylor Vladic (Duncansville, Pa. /Hollidaysburg) has also been counted on for scoring this season with three goals and a pair of assists.
Jessica Printz (Fairfax, Va./WT Woodson) started all 18 games in the net for the Crimson Hawks, tallying four shutouts with a 1.20 goals against average and a .806 save percentage. She's been helped by a defensive unit that features a mix of experience and youth, including freshman
Jeanella Hughes (Rochester, N.Y./Greece Arcadia), junior
Kelly Jacobson (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora), senior
Alyanna James (Newmarket, Ont./Newmarket), freshman
Cassidy LeDonne (Murrysville, Pa. /Franklin Regional) and senior
Kate Numer (Lebanon, Pa. /Cedar Crest).
The Warriors will present a tough test as they enter as the No. 3 ranked team in Division II. ESU is 17-1 overall and 15-1 in the PSAC, and boast the top offense (47 goals) and top defense (nine goals allowed) in the league.
This game will also mean a lot when it comes to NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional rankings, as ESU enters this week ranked fifth and the Crimson Hawks are ranked eighth. The top eight teams in each of the eight regions will advance to the NCAA Division II championships.
The winner of Tuesday's match will advance to the semifinals to face the winner of No. 4 California (PA) and No. 5 Slippery Rock on Friday. The highest ranked remaining seed after the first round of games will host the semifinals and championship this coming weekend.
