INDIANA, Pa. – Two first half goals proved to be enough for the IUP women's soccer team (4-4-0, 3-4-0 PSAC West) to secure a 2-1 homecoming victory over the visiting Mercyhurst Lakers (5-3-1, 4-3-1, PSAC West) on Saturday afternoon. Freshman midfielder Alayna Ryan put in an all-action display to help lead the Crimson Hawks to victory. Ryan set up the Crimson Hawks' first goal in the game, before then scoring the game winner herself.

How it Happened
>> Ryan didn't wait long to make her mark in the match, as just four minutes into the game her headed pass looped over the Mercyhurst defense to find forward Mahogany Willis 16 yards out from goal. Willis wasted no time with her shot lashing a half volley into the Mercyhurst net to give the Crimson Hawks an early lead.
>> The Crimson Hawks continued their onslaught of the Mercyhurst goal following Willis' strike, and a little over ten minutes later Ryan would score her first collegiate goal for IUP. A defense splitting pass from forward Taylor Karan in the 15^th minute found Ryan inside of her defender and in on net. Ryan did well to hold off the challenge of the Mercyhurst right back before then bending her shot into the far corner of the net to double the IUP lead.
>> The Lakers seemed to be stunned by going down by two goals so quickly in the game, and were lucky to go into the break only down by two, as the IUP frontline continued to pepper the Lakers goal with shots as the half progressed.
>> The halftime break seemed to reinvigorate the Lakers though, and within seven minutes of the restart they had managed to halve the deficit. Lakers forward Alyssa Otto found space behind the IUP defense with a clever and was able to beat Madeline Smakulski in the IUP net  to give the Lakers hope in the 52nd minute.
>> With the game now in the balance thanks to that goal the second half was a very open end-to-end affair.
>> As the Lakers went searching for an equalizer the Crimson Hawks increasingly found chances on the counter, and Willis and Karan both had chances to restore the two-goal lead for IUP as the game progressed.
>> The Crimson Hawks also had a strong argument for a penalty as well in the second half when Willis was dragged down by a Mercyhurst center back, only for the referees' offside flag to spare the Lakers.
>> For the most part the IUP defense managed to contain the Lakers offense following the early second half goal. The Lakers did get one prime chance to equalize in the 84^th minute, but Smakulski was on hand to make a flying save to maintain the IUP advantage.
>> That save would prove to be enough to ensure the IUP victory, as the Crimson Hawks did an excellent job of managing the remaining time in the game to secure the win on homecoming.

Game Notes
>> In addition to scoring her first goal for the Crimson Hawks, Alayna Ryan also set a new personal record for points in a match (3) on Saturday.
>> Willis' goal against the Lakers ended her version of a mini-drought of two games without a goal, and increased her league-leading tally to 10 on the season.
>> Saturday's win also snapped a three-match losing streak for the Crimson Hawks. It also ended a three-match winning streak for the visiting Lakers.
>> The Crimson Hawks and Lakers each recorded 13 shots in Saturday's match. Both sides also won three corners in the game.
>. Goalkeeper Madeline Smakulski made seven saves in the game to help earn the win for IUP.

Up Next
>> The Crimson Hawks are on the road night week for both of their matches. IUP will play a night game against Clarion on Wednesday, October 9th at 7:00 p.m. before heading to California, Pa. for a lunchtime kickoff on Saturday.