ERIE, Pa. – A pair of first-half goals provided the IUP women's soccer team all the offense it needed in a 2-0 blanking of Mercyhurst on Saturday afternoon in Erie.
IUP (4-4-7, 3-4-7) has been on the fringe of converting ties to victories, but had little worries on Saturday with the lead at the break. Mercyhurst (9-4-4, 8-3-4) entered the contest second in the PSAC West standings and owned the advantage in shots.
Hannah Scardina found the back of the net in the 28th minute, her seventh of the season, before scoring off an
Alayna Ryan pass in the 44th minute.
Vanessa Berlin was strong in net, collecting a season-high eight saves and earning her second shutout of the season.
"We were excellent today on both sides of the ball and I'm delighted for the players," IUP head coach
Noreen Herlihy said. "Mercyhurst is a top team, but I've been mentioning our character all season long, and it showed today. It's brilliant to make a tough road trip when your backs are against the wall and knock off a quality opponent."
Mercyhurst led 15-8 in the shots department, placing eight on target. The Lakers also held a 10-4 advantage of corner kicks as IUP made the early tallies stand up.
Aislinn Meaney had two shots in addition to Scardina's four.
The Lakers put on offensive pressure early in the first half as Berlin stood tall, allowing Scradina to open the scoring in the 28th minute. The Crimson Hawks doubled their lead about 17 minutes later with Scardina posting her team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Mercyhurst hit the crossbar early in the second half and could not break through the IUP defensive unit. The Lakers had another flurry of chances following a corner kick in the 67th minute.
Berlin made one final save on Karah Van Horn in the 79th minute. Mercyhurst goalkeeper Maddie Elbro made four stops on the day.
Up Next
IUP is back in action for its regular season home finale on Wednesday, October 26, hosting Pitt-Johnstown on South Campus Field at 1:00 p.m.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's soccer on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPsoccer.
