GREENVILLE, Pa. – A slower paced second half worked against IUP as Grand Valley State defeated the 20th-ranked Crimson Hawks 14-12 at Thiel College's Rissell-Schreyer Dome on Monday afternoon.
 
The non-conference game was moved from IUP's campus to the indoor facility at Thiel due to snow covering the turf at George P. Miller Stadium. The Crimson Hawks fall to 0-2 on the young season while Grand Valley State improves to 2-3.
 
The Lakers controlled the ball in the second half by outdrawing IUP 6-3 and setting a slower pace as the teams combined for eight goals in the final 30 minutes compared to 18 in the first half.
 
The scoring to open to second half went back-and-forth, as both teams traded the five goals. The Crimson Hawks grabbed a 12-11 lead with a goal by Tara Nicholas (Germantown, MD/Northwest) at the 18:07 mark, as she got an assist from Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, MD/Atholton), who finished with eight on the day.
 
IUP held onto that one-goal lead for nearly 10 minutes of game action before the Lakers tied it up on a free position goal with 8:13 to play. Grand Valley scored two more quick goals to take a 14-12 lead with 4:12 to play, taking advantage of a pair of gained draw controls.
 
After an IUP timeout, the Crimson Hawks were only able to gain possession once more, as their final shot was saved with 1:25 to go. The Lakers then played keep away, draining the clock and getting the win.
 
Nicholas finished with a team-high three goals for the Crimson Hawks, also chipping in an assist. Kim Hooven (Malvern/Great Valley), Maddie Poehlman (Ellicott City, Md./Seton Keough (Howard C.C.)), Brenna Gallagher (Evans City/Seneca Valley) and Smith each added two goals apiece. The eight assists by Weinberg is the second most all-time in a single game in history as she now owns the top three game marks in that category – 11, eight and seven.
 
Bailey McLeish (Courtice, Ontario/Anderson C.V.I) caused three turnovers and picked up four ground balls and Weinberg had six of IUP's 13 draw controls.
 
The Crimson Hawks opened the game strong, taking a 7-2 lead with under 10 minutes to play with the help of a 5-0 run. The Lakers rebounded with runs of 4-0 and 3-0 to take the lead before Smith's goal as the halftime buzzer sounded tied the game heading into the break.
 
The Crimson Hawks head south as they play their next three games against ranked opponents in North Carolina. Their first game will be Saturday, March 14 against 17th-ranked Pfieffer.
 
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