SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. - The IUP women's lacrosse team rallied from six down in the second half, scoring six times in the fourth quarter alone, to post a 12-11 come-from-behind road victory over Slippery Rock in the regular season finale Saturday afternoon. 

Leah Hunter scored the go-ahead goal with 7:46 left in the game and Sarah Reustle added a much-needed insurance goal with 2:19 left. Slippery Rock scored late and grabbed the ensuing draw control but its shot with 54 seconds left was blocked and IUP goalie Ashley Andrikanich picked up the ground ball as the Hawks ran out the clock. 

Having already clinched a PSAC tournament spot, the Hawks head into the postseason with a 12-5 overall record, including a 9-3 mark in divisional play. Those wins are the most since IUP went 13-6 and 10-2 in 2016. 

Who stood out
Sarah Reustle: 5 goals, 1 assist, 5 ground balls, 3 caused turnovers, 3 draw controls
Jordan Kulp: 1 goal, 4 assists, 1 caused turnover
Kathryn Burke: 3 goals, 2 ground balls
Chantal Jimenez: 4 draw controls, 1 caused turnover, 1 goal
Ashley Andrikanich: 13 saves, 4 ground balls

How it happened
Slippery Rock had control in the first quarter, scoring the game's first four goals and took a 5-1 lead through 15 minutes. IUP scored just twice in the second quarter, both goals coming from Kathryn Burke, and trailed 8-3 at halftime. 

Neither team found the net in the second half until SRU scored with 6:27 left in the third, taking a 9-3 lead. The Hawks answered as Sarah Reustle score back-to-back goals while Chantal Jimenez added another score, cutting their deficit to three goals entering the fourth. 

After an SRU goal at the start of the frame, IUP rattled off six unanswered goals over a 10-minute span to take a 12-10 lead with just over two minutes to play. Reustle scored three times during the run, while Burke, Kulp, and Hunter added the other goals. 

Up next
The Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the PSAC West and open the conference tournament Tuesday at No. 2 seed Mercyhurst. 

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