IUP Women’s Soccer Settles for Draw Against Clarion Despite Dominance
INDIANA, Pa. – Indiana (Pa.) poured on the pressure, owned the ball, and racked up chances. The win never came.
Instead, IUP women’s soccer had to settle for a 2-2 draw with Clarion on Saturday afternoon at South Campus Field, despite a dominant attacking display and a two-goal performance from Kat Morgan.
Morgan at the double, but IUP denied
From the opening whistle, the Crimson Hawks set the tone. They pushed Clarion back, carved out opportunities, and were in front before the match had really settled.
In the ninth minute, Morgan struck first. Latching onto a pass from Melody Leiva, she buried the opener to give IUP a 1-0 lead and reward the early pressure.
That advantage didn’t last long.
Clarion hit back in the 15th minute through Leah Deal, leveling the match against the run of play. Then came the real punch: in the 30th minute, Sofia Barba finished off another Golden Eagles chance, flipping the game on its head and sending IUP into halftime trailing 2-1.
Two goals conceded from very little. Clarion had just three shots all afternoon, and only two on target. Both found the net.
One-way traffic after the break
After halftime, it turned into an IUP siege.
The Crimson Hawks outshot Clarion 8-0 over the final 45 minutes, piling bodies forward and forcing the visitors to defend deep. Crosses flew in, shots kept coming, and Clarion goalkeeper Sage Sherk found herself at the heart of it all.
Sherk finished with seven saves, repeatedly denying IUP as the pressure mounted.
The resistance finally cracked in the 74th minute. Morgan, again. Her second goal of the day pulled IUP level at 2-2, capping a clinical personal display: four shots, all on target, two in the net.
IUP kept pushing for a winner, but Clarion held on, clinging to the point their goalkeeper and ruthless finishing had earned.
Numbers tell the story
The stat sheet underlined IUP’s control:
- Shots: IUP 14, Clarion 3
- Shots on goal: IUP 9, Clarion 2
- Corner kicks: IUP 6, Clarion 0
Leiva backed up her assist with three shots. Ayla Cook and Charlotte De Keukelaere each registered two efforts, while Zoe Ans-Bitchoka and Avery Clanton also tested Sherk.
At the other end, junior goalkeeper Sarah Gatz played the full 90 minutes for the Crimson Hawks. She faced only two shots on frame. Both went in.
What the draw means
The result nudges IUP to 1-2-3 overall and 1-2-2 in PSAC play, a record that doesn’t quite match the control they showed in this one. Clarion leaves with a point and a 3-1-2 overall mark, 2-1-2 in the conference, after absorbing wave after wave of pressure.
For IUP, the question now is simple: if they can dominate like this, how long before the scoreline finally matches the performance?
