LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The IUP women's lacrosse regular season came down to a thrilling ending, as the Crimson Hawks defeated Lock Haven 14-13 in overtime on the road in a driving rain storm Thursday night. 

Freshman Chantal Jimenez scored the game-winning goal, scoring on a free position attempt just 40 seconds into the overtime period. 

The exciting end to the regular season will become a postseason berth, with IUP clinching the third and final spot from the division for the upcoming 2021 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships. The Crimson Hawks entered the game needing a win or a one-goal loss to earn the tiebreaker over Lock Haven for that final playoff spot. 

Sophomore Jordan Kulp had a big night with six points, scoring a team-best four goals while adding two assists. 

The Crimson Hawks end the regular season witha  6-5 overall record and are the third seed in the PSAC West with a 6-4 divisional record. 

Who stood out
Soph. Jordan Kulp tied her career-high with four goals and dished out two assists for a game-high six points. 
Fr. Chantal Jimenez scored two goals with an assist, grabbed nine draw controls, and picked up two ground balls.
Fr. Sarah Reustle had two goals, four ground balls and three draw controls. 

How it happened
The Crimson Hawks had all the momentum early as five different players scored in the first 10 minutes to give IUP a 5-2 lead. Lock Haven closed the gap with back-to-back goals but scores by Kayte Zeiler, Sarah Reustle and Abigail Cermak over a three minute span put IUP on top 8-5 with 6:21 left in the half. Another goal by Reustle gave IUP a 9-6 lead at halftime. 

Lock Haven outscored IUP 4-1 to start the second half, tying the game at 10-10 with just under 20 minutes left. Kulp scored goals at 14:51 and 4:56 on the clock to give IUP a two-goal lead at 13-11. Lock Haven answered with a goal and then tied the game at 13-13 with 41 seconds left in regulation.

In the second overtime game of the season between these two teams, Jimenez scored on IUP's very first possession to put an exclamation point on IUP's playoff clinching win.

Up next
The Crimson Hawks will face second seed Mercyhurst in the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament this Saturday night in Erie. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Follow
For coverage of the IUP women's lacrosse program, follow the Crimson Hawks on Twitter and Instagram @IUPlacrosse and online at IUPAthletics.com.