INDIANA, Pa. – Battling rainy and windy conditions at South Campus Field, IUP women's soccer opened the floodgates with three goals in the second half en route to a 3-0 shutout victory in the home finale on Wednesday.
While IUP (5-4-7, 4-4-7) had quality scoring chances right away, it took until the 53rd minute to break through offensively. Meanwhile, the Crimson Hawks notched their second consecutive shutout as
Vanessa Berlin and
Samantha Gildner combined for four stops.
Aislinn Meaney,
Hannah Scardina and
Kristen Finnerty accounted for the IUP goal scoring, with Finnerty and Scardina adding assists to their ledgers. The team recognized players from both squads impacted by breast cancer, presenting a pink carnation as part of a pregame ceremony.
IUP held a 13-5 edge in shots, but just a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal. IUP has racked up a combined seven goals in two meetings with Pitt-Johnstown (4-9-4, 4-8-3), recording a 4-2 victory back on September 21.
"I want to give credit to our players, who performed well today," IUP head coach
Noreen Herlihy said. "While we could have scored early on, there were a few missed opportunities. Our second half approach was more clinical, and it resulted in a fantastic team effort."
Meaney ripped a chance off the left post less than 30 second in, providing IUP with a quality scoring chance from the jump. Scardina added a hard shot off the crossbar in the 14th minute as IUP maintained its pressure in the attacking half.
UPJ goalkeeper Sachi Negri gobbled up two more chances from Meaney in the 24th and 26th minutes, keeping the contest scoreless. The Crimson Hawks found the scoresheet in the 53rd minute as Meaney finished a pass from Scardina along the left post for a 1-0 advantage.
IUP continued the pressure, doubling the advantage just over three minutes later. Scardina worked free in the middle off a long counterattack find from Finnerty, placing a shot by the goalkeeper in the 56th minute.
Finnerty rounded out the scoring with a move around a defender in the 70th minute, lifting IUP to a 3-0 advantage. From there, IUP had a chance to work in a large chunk of the lineup and preserve the victory. Gildner gathered a save in the 86th minute off a chance from Alyssa Shields, maintaining the shutout for the Crimson Hawks.
Up Next
IUP finishes out the regular season on Saturday, October 29 at Seton Hill for a 1:00 p.m. matchup.
Follow
For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's soccer on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPsoccer.
