INDIANA, Pa. – IUP women's soccer entered its regular-season finale with plenty still to be decided in the PSAC West standings, with the Crimson Hawks having an opportunity to finish as high as the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament.
With Seton Hill defeating Lock Haven earlier in the day and IUP falling to PSAC West champion Slippery Rock, 2-0, the Crimson Hawks finished the regular season as the No. 5 seed in the West. IUP will travel to No. 4 seed Edinboro for the PSAC West play-in game Saturday.
The Crimson Hawks entered Wednesday looking to complete their first unbeaten regular season at home in 22 years, but Slippery Rock spoiled that opportunity behind a pair of goals.
The matchup also marked another return to Indiana for former IUP head coach Noreen Herlihy, who now leads The Rock.
Slippery Rock broke through in the opening half when Lilia Battalini found the back of the net following a scrum off a corner kick. The goal proved to be all The Rock needed to secure the victory.
Jilly Deivert added an insurance goal for Slippery Rock on a fast break to push the advantage to 2-0. Deivert led both sides with seven shots despite playing with a large cast on her hand.
Melody Leiva paced the Crimson Hawks with two shots in the match.
Slippery Rock closed the regular season with its 14th overall victory and 13th in PSAC play, while IUP finished the regular season at 7-6-4 overall and 7-6-3 in the PSAC West.
The Crimson Hawks now turn their attention to postseason play and a familiar opponent in Edinboro.
IUP and Edinboro split their two regular-season meetings. The Fighting Scots earned a 1-0 victory in the first matchup in Edinboro before the Crimson Hawks responded with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 17 in Indiana.
The rubber match will carry significantly higher stakes, with the winner advancing in the PSAC Tournament and the loser's conference tournament run coming to an end.
