The Rocket

Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Samantha Chalmers Senior Jaimi Wilson nails a corner kick during the Rock's 2-0 victory over PSAC-East opponent Millersville. The Rock, unbeaten in six PSAC-West games, currently holds an eight-point lead in the West. A win Saturday over Edinboro would virtually lock-up a playoff berth for SRU. [Click to enlarge]

The Slippery Rock women's soccer team is on the brink of its sixth-straight Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference playoff berth.

The Rock (10-1-0, 6-0-0), which is ranked fourth in the country, has won all six PSAC-West games this season, including last Thursday's thrilling 3-2 victory over archrival Indiana (Pa.) (5-3-0, 2-3-0) and Wednesday afternoon's 3-1 triumph over California (Pa.).

Sandwiched in between those wins was a 2-0 blanking of PSAC-East opponent Millersville.

In the Green and White's win over IUP, Meghan McGrath put the Rock up 2-0 in the first 20 minutes of the game after netting her seventh and eighth goals of the year.

It took only four minutes for SRU to find the net, as McGrath converted an assist from Danielle Cooper.

Then, 16 minutes later, McGrath again found the back of the net, this time converting assists from Melisa Sharek and Courtney Hoover.

"We put ourselves in great position to get up 2-0," Rock Head Coach Noreen Herlihy said.

IUP came roaring back with a penalty-shot goal by Carina Honeygosky in the 25th minute.

"It was a defensive error," Herlihy said. "There was a back pass to the keeper and they read it and were quick to capitalize on it. Their girl was supposedly taken down in the box by Lauren (McManus), which gave them the PK."

Indiana tied the game 10 minutes later when McManus failed to collect a loose ball after rejecting the initial shot. The game would remain tied until the 87th minute, when freshman Ashley Paganie took a short corner and drilled the game-winner just out of the reach of IUP goalie Kelsey Dowling.

Continued...

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