Box Score ERIE, Pa. - The IUP women's soccer team (10-7-0, 8-7-0 PSAC West) suffered a setback in their bid to secure a return to the PSAC playoffs on Wednesday afternoon in Erie, Pa. The Crimson Hawks fell to the Mercyhurst Lakers (10-5-2, 9-5-1 PSAC West) by a score of five to zero.

How it Happened
>> The Crimson Hawks found themselves in a hole early with the Lakers grabbing a two goal lead within five minutes of the opening whistle.
>> The Crimson Hawks were hit with a double sucker punch just minutes after the opening kickoff, with the Lakers notching two goals just eight seconds apart in the fifth minute of the game.
>> Faced with a daunting early deficit the Crimson Hawks were forced to throw caution into the wind in a bid to get back into the game.
>> Unfortunately, the host side was able to take advantage of IUP's need for a goal, and Mercyhurst made the Crimson Hawks pay with another quick fire double later in the first half. Christy Senskey extended the Mercyhurst lead to three in the 29^th minute, before Lakers forward Alyssa Otto grabbed her second goal of the game in the 31^st minute.
>> The Crimson Hawks were unable to muster a reply in the first period, and went into the break down by four goals.
>> Despite being down several goals, the Crimson Hawks refused to give up. IUP started off the second half as the more aggressive of the two sides, forcing several saves from long range shots out of the Mercyhurst goalkeeper.
>> However, as the second half progressed the home side started to generate more scoring chances, and IUP goalkeeper Maria Tunney was called into action to make a series of impressive saves.
>> Tunney was unable to do anything about the Lakers fifth goal though, as Alyssa Otto was able to finish a break away in the 61^st minute to further extend the Mercyhurst lead.
>> That goal would be the end of the scoring in the game, as the Crimson Hawks left Erie with the loss.
 
Game Notes
>> The Crimson Hawks were outshot in the match 16 to 4.
>> IUP earned two corner kicks in the game.
>> Madeline Smakulski and Maria Tunney split time in net for the Crimson Hawks in the game. 

Playoff Berth in the Balance
>> Following the Crimson Hawks loss, and Gannon's victory over Clarion, IUP's path to playoffs is as follows.
>> If the Crimson Hawks win on Saturday they are guaranteed a playoff berth regardless of how the Gannon women's soccer team does in their match against Slippery Rock on Saturday.
>> If the Crimson Hawks don't win on Saturday they need to match Gannon's result against Slippery Rock in order to earn the fourth and final playoff berth out of the West division.
>> If the Crimson Hawks lose on Saturday and Gannon ties in their match the two sides will be level on points, and will go to a tiebreaker to determine who advances to the playoffs.
>> Should the Crimson Hawks earn a playoff berth, they can finish no better than the fourth seed, and will travel to number one seed Slippery Rock.

Up Next
>> The Crimson Hawks play their final match of the regular season on Saturday against Clarion. The Crimson Hawks will be celebrating their senior class prior to the match, which kicks off at 1:30 p.m. Due to the weather forecast for the rest of the week, the match location has been moved to the Indiana Area Senior High School turf field.