Slippery Rock women’s soccer defeated Millersville University, 2-0, in the quarterfinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament on Tuesday at James Egli Field.
The Rock got on the board before most fans had settled into their seats, as sophomore Abby Paterline beat Millersville goalkeeper Megan Taltavull just 2:44 into the contest. The goal came on the first shot of the game for either team.
The Marauders looked to respond with a shot from Lia Francis, but Rock goalkeeper Leah Allman turned it away to preserve the early lead.
Paterline nearly added another goal shortly after, but her shot was turned away by Taltavull. Meanwhile, Allman continued to keep Millersville off the board, making another save on a shot from Sara Edwards in the 11th minute.
After entering the game as a substitute in the 25th minute, Lilia Battalini extended Slippery Rock’s lead just minutes later, scoring her seventh goal of the season to tie Paterline for the team lead.
The Rock continued to apply pressure late in the first half, with Lindsey Price and Gianna Revetta each adding shots that missed just wide of the top-left corner.
Millersville continued to search for an answer, but Allman turned away another attempt from Francis to maintain SRU’s two-goal advantage heading into halftime.
In the 57th minute, the Marauders appeared to cut into the deficit, but an offsides negated the goal.
Millersville goalkeeper Taltavull kept the game within reach, turning away shots from Jilly Deivert and Libby Earley. The Marauders added another opportunity through Brook Balliet, but Allman came up with the save to preserve the shutout.
Earley received a yellow card in the 86th minute, but the Rock held on through the final minutes to secure the 2-0 victory and advance to the PSAC Tournament semifinals.
The victory marks Slippery Rock’s first postseason win since 2024 and its first postseason victory at home since 2019.
The Rock will remain at home for the PSAC Tournament semifinals, where they will host No. 15 West Chester University on Friday. The matchup marks the first meeting between the two programs since 2019.
