INDIANA, Pa. – Seventh-ranked IUP field hockey opened up conference play with a 1-0 Homecoming shutout of Mansfield at a dreary Miller Stadium on Saturday night.
The Crimson Hawks push their record to 5-2 and 1-0 in PSAC play, while Mansfield drops to 5-4 and 0-1 following the conference opener.
Blaise Cugini tucked a ball into the night along the right post after
Jess Davidson played it through the middle shortly after a penalty corner chance for IUP. It marked the fifth goal of the season for Cugini, who provided IUP all the offense it needed with the tally in the first quarter.
The Crimson Hawks recorded their third shutout of the season, ding so in front of several former student-athletes that returned to Miller Stadium for Alumni Night as part of Homecoming weekend. The Mounties pressed forward late in search of the equalizer, but IUP goalie
Amanda Zaner was up to the task with five saves on the night.
Despite outshooting IUP by a 9-7 margin, Mansfield could not convert with the bulk of the scoring chances coming in the third. Davidson and
Shelby Harnish posted a pair of goals each for the Crimson Hawks in a game that went up and down the field with no shortage of possession changes.
Mansfield earned three consecutive penalty corner chances and had a pair of shots before the conclusion of the half before the surge in the third. Meanwhile, the somewhat shorthanded IUP lineup continued to maintain the lead for the duration.
Hannah Myer had a high shot land just above the crossbar at the 37:59 mark before Zaner denied an Ashtyn Price chance just over one minute later. Mansfield held an 8-5 advantage in penalty corners on the night.
Up Next
IUP returns to action on Tuesday, October 4 against Lidenwood.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP field hockey on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPfieldhockey.
