CORNELIUS, N.C. – Carissa Smith (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) and Bailey McLeish (Courtice, Ontario/Anderson C.V.I) each tallied five goals and the 20th-ranked Crimson Hawks held off a late rally in IUP's 18-16 win over 17th-ranked Pfeiffer on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the Crimson Hawks holding a 15-12 lead with 12 minutes left to play, Pfeiffer fought back and narrowed the deficit to one with back-to-back goals just 13 seconds apart.
 
The two teams would trade goals over a five minute span, with the Falcons again trailing by just one at 17-16 with 3:21 left to play in the game. Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) took control of the ensuing draw, leading to a Kim Hooven (Malvern/Great Valley) goal with 2:38 to play, giving the Crimson Hawks an 18-16 lead with minutes to play.
 
Weinberg again won the draw and the Crimson Hawks attempted to play keep away until a turnover gave Pfeiffer the ball back with under two minutes left. The Falcons would get off three more shots in the final 1:23, but IUP goalie Angela Lontoc (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) came up big with a pair of saves and the Crimson Hawks secured their first win of the season with the two-goal win.
 
Pfeiffer held the edge in shots, groundballs and draw controls, but the Crimson Hawks made their offensive chances count, especially early on. In a game that was forced to a turf field at William Hough High School in Cornelius, N.C., the Crimson Hawks jumped out to an early lead, going up 5-1 in the first 13 minutes of play. The key was three straight goals scored during a 2:44 span as IUP forced Pfeiffer into three costly turnovers.
 
Pfeiffer cut into IUP's lead by scoring three of the next four goals to make it a 6-4 game with under 12 minutes to play in the half. IUP held off the Falcons, getting goals by Tara Nicholas (Germantown, MD/Northwest), Hooven and McLeish to take a 9-4 lead into the final eight minutes of the half.
 
The Falcons added a pair of goals and scored one more with 10 seconds left before the buzzer as IUP took a 10-8 lead into halftime.
 
IUP scored first in the second half as McLeish got her third goal to put the Crimson Hawks on top 11-8. Pfeiffer then reeled off four straight goals to go on top 12-11 with 22:22 on the clock, its first lead of the contest.
 
The Crimson Hawks answered with a 4-0 run of their own, taking the lead for good at 15-12 with just over 12 minutes to play, setting up the final few minutes of action.
 
Seven different Crimson Hawks scored on the day, with Smith and McLeish's five goals being a team-high. Hooven added three while Nicholas added two with a pair of assists. McLeish also picked up four ground balls and had two draw controls while Weinberg and Maddie Poehlman (Ellicott City, Md./Seton Keough (Howard C.C.)) came up with three draws apiece. Lontoc had 10 saves in the net for the Crimson Hawks, playing in just over 52 minutes.
 
Now 1-2 on the season, the Crimson Hawks will face off against another nationally-ranked team on Monday, as they face No. 14 Queens College. 

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