INDIANA, Pa.- The IUP women's soccer team inherited two ties in their opening matches of the season against Cal U and Gannon. 

The Crimson Hawks took the road to match up against the Cal U Vulcans on Wednesday for their season opener. Both teams showed their competitive natures on the defensive side of the ball with the match ending in a 0-0 tie. With either team unable to score, goalkeeper Samantha Gildner was kept busy at the goal, having three saves on the day. 

On Saturday, the Crimson Hawks hosted the Gannon Knights for IUP's home opener at South Campus Field. Gannon started the game off fast with two goals, making it a 2-0 lead for the Knights. At 67:37 minutes into the match, freshman, Nicole Clydesdale scored the first goal, assisted by junior, Sami Nemeth. This brought IUP up a 2-1 margin. At 76:11 minutes into the match, senior, Aislinn Meaney brought in the second goal for the Crimson Hawks. Meaney's goal tied the game up 2-2. Goalkeeper, Samantha Gildner had four saves in the match. Both teams locked up each others offense for the remainder of the match, resulting in a tie. 

Here is what head coach Noreen Herlihy had to say about each game:
Cal U: "I am proud of the effort of the players. They were looking to apply what we were working on and that's always a positive. We have lots to still improve on but this group is willing. We will take a point on the road opening game of the season"

Gannon: "I am extremely proud of the comeback and the effort put in by all of the players whether it was on the field or from the bench. To bounce back from 2-0 down against a top team showed real grit and determination especially conceding so early in the game. In truth, we didn't keep the ball well enough especially in the first half, but we addressed that at halftime and we did improve. Once Nicole got us off the mark, and then Aislinn followed up, I felt the momentum was in our favor and we kept pushing for the win, so it was a resilient team effort."

UP NEXT
IUP takes the road on Wednesday for a matchup against Slippery Rock. 

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For up-to-date information, visit IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP women's soccer on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPsoccer.