INDIANA, Pa. – The Crimson Hawks held off a late Slippery Rock run and scored four of the last six goals to wrap up a 15-11 victory over their rivals in a Wednesday night women's lacrosse game at Miller Stadium.
 
Kim Hooven (Malvern/Great Valley) scored two of those four goals while Brittany Palardy scored a third and assisted on two others to help IUP secure its fifth straight win. The Crimson Hawks improved to 7-4 overall with the win and moved into a three-way tie for second place in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) with a 5-1 league record.
 
Hooven finished with a new career and game-high six goals on the night. Five of Hooven's goals came in the second half alone, including two in the last 9:12.
 
That goal with 9:12 to go came with the Crimson Hawks clinging to an 11-9 lead after a 6-1 Slippery Rock run. Hooven scored a second straight goal just 34 seconds later, giving IUP a 13-9 lead.
 
Slippery Rock answered with another goal with just under six minutes to play, but the Crimson Hawks gave up just one more the rest of the way and added two more insurance scores to clinch the four-goal victory.
 
Carissa Smith (East Brunswick, NJ/East Brunswick) finished with three goals while Bailey McLeish (Courtice, Ontario/Anderson C.V.I) and Amy Weinberg (Clarksville, MD/Atholton) each added two scores. Weinberg added five assists, bringing her season total to 43, just 10 away from tying her single season record with six regular season games left to play.
 
Defensively, Hannah Bertolo (Murrysville/Franklin Regional) caused five turnovers and picked up six ground balls. Angela Lontoc (Columbus, OH/Dublin Scioto) started in goal and played nearly 49 minutes, saving nine shots.
 
The Crimson Hawks will go for their sixth consecutive win on Saturday when they host Kutztown in the Shannon Quail Memorial Game. First draw is set for 1 p.m.
 
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk.