Box Score
WEST CHESTER, PA – A goal by
Kate Bruce (Clarks Summit/Lackawanna Trail) near the end of the first half got the Crimson Hawks to within one goal but that's where it stayed as IUP lost to West Chester 2-1 in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Field Hockey Tournament on Friday.
The loss ends the PSAC tournament run for IUP (14-5), which advanced to the semifinals after defeating Slippery Rock 1-0 in dramatic fashion in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
The Crimson Hawks kept West Chester off the board until the 19:25 mark when Kayla Gluchowski deposited a goal for the Golden Rams. Another goal, this one by Megan Callanan 10 minutes later, put West Chester on top 2-0 before IUP was able to get off a shot.
IUP would get its chance, with a
Brielle Mackey (Coopersburg/Southern Lehigh) penalty corner less than two minutes later leading to Bruce's goal. The first shot off the corner from
Alicia Straining (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin) was blocked by West Chester, but
Chelsea Wanamaker (Oley, Pa./Oley Valley) got the rebound and found Bruce to make it a 2-1 game with less than four minutes to go in the half.
The Crimson Hawks had good chances at the beginning of the second half to tie the score, but shots by Wanamaker and
Jillian Duld (Allentown/Parkland) didn't connect.
West Chester would pepper the cage with shots in the second, but goalie
Sarah Lemieux (Dublin, OH/Dublin Coffman) came up big with four saves over a seven minute stretch late to keep the deficit at one.
IUP would have a chance in the final minute with a penalty corner, but the Golden Rams were able to kill the opportunity to seal the victory. West Chester moves onto the championship game on Saturday against Millersville, which upset Shippensburg 1-0 earlier in the day.
The Crimson Hawks will now await word on whether they will receive a bid to the NCAA tournament. The top three from each region will advance, as IUP was ranked third in Wednesday's rankings. The NCAA tournament field will be announced on Monday afternoon.
