INDIANA, Pa. --- The Golden Eagles soccer team held a 2-1 lead well into the second half, but a late goal by IUP led to Clarion and the Crimson Hawks playing to a 2-2 draw on Saturday.
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The Crimson Hawks struck first, scoring a goal in the ninth minute to take the early advantage. IUP carried the ball in deep down the left sideline, with Melody Leiva sending a cross through the box just past the righthand post. A perfect touch set the ball up for Kat Morgan, who pushed the ball past
Sage Sherk to make it a 1-0 game.
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The Golden Eagles earned the equalizer less than six minutes later, with
Leah Deal potting her third of the year in the 15
th minute.
Ciara DiMauro got the behind the defense on the right side and crossed a pass into the middle for
Paige Brewer, who then tapped it to Deal. The junior forward shrugged off a defender and fired a ball into the hands of a diving Sarah Gatz, but the force of the ball caused it to deflect off her hands and over the goal line for the tying tally.
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The go-ahead goal came in the 30
th minute, with a Crimson Hawk miscue and a Golden Eagle bounce leading to Clarion's first lead of the day. After a foul at the midfield stripe gave Clarion a free kick from just inside the line,
Sofia Barba bombed a longball toward the net, with the shot hitting shallow in the box in front of the net. The bounce carried high over the punch attempt by Gatz and into the net, giving Barba her first goal of the season and making it a 2-1 Golden Eagle lead.
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IUP knotted the score up at 2-2 in the 74
th minute, after a Clarion turnover in the Golden Eagles' end landed on the foot of Morgan. She drove a shot into a perfect spot in the upper righthand corner of the net to even the game. There the score remained for the rest of the game as neither side could break through, leaving it the Golden Eagles' second draw in three games.
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The Crimson Hawks held a 14-3 advantage in total shots and a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal, with Sherk making seven stops on those nine attempts.
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