MANSFIELD, Pa. – Freshman goalie Madeline Smakulski (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg Area High School) continued her stellar net play, tallying her fifth straight shutout of the season as IUP blanked Mansfield 6-0 on the road Saturday afternoon.
 
Smakulski decreased her Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) leading goals against average to .327 to help the Crimson Hawks improve to 7-4 overall on the year and 6-4 in the league.
 
Smakulski hasn't allowed a goal since an August 31 overtime loss (2-1) to Pitt-Johnstown, coming up with saves on opponents' last 18 shots on goal. The Crimson Hawks are 5-1 when Smakulski starts, outscoring opponents 14-2 in her six starts.
 
Smakulski had three saves in Saturday's win, as the IUP offense totaled 28 shots and 13 shots on goal in the blowout win. Six different Crimson Hawks threaded the net on Saturday, with senior Megan Coyne (Fairview Park, Ohio/Fairview Park) assisting on a pair.
 
The Crimson Hawks scored three times in each half, with sophomore McKenna Keffel (Belle Vernon, Pa./Belle Vernon) getting IUP on the board in the second minute off of a corner kick. Senior Lexie Palluconi (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) scored her team-best third goal of the year in the 10th minute while junior Hannah Stoof (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) made it a 3-0 lead in the 22nd.
 
Second half goals came from senior Cassidy LeDonne (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) in the 50th minute, sophomore Gabriella Lonzo (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) in the 56th, and sophomore Abigail Leach (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) in the 68th.
 
PSAC standings
The win kept the Crimson Hawks in the eighth spot in the conference standings, tied with Clarion with 18 points. IUP trails seventh place Seton Hill by one point and sixth place Bloomsburg by two. IUP has six games left on the schedule
 
Up next
IUP hosts Edinboro (4-4-3, 3-4-3 PSAC) next Friday afternoon.
 
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's soccer on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPsoccer.