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BLOOMSBURG, Pa. - The Bloomsburg University women's soccer team found themselves in a position on Tuesday afternoon that it had been in only one other time this season - trailing at halftime. But, the Huskies exploded for four second-half goals - two from senior Allie Barber (Pittston Township, Pa./Pittston Area) - as they knocked off Slippery Rock University, 4-1, in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Quarterfinal match at Steph Pettit Stadium. Bloomsburg extended its unbeaten streak to 12 consecutive games and improved to 14-2-2 overall while The Rock were eliminated from the conference tournament as they dropped to 12-5-2 on the season.

The win was the first conference tournament victory for the Huskies since a 1-0 win over West Chester in the quarterfinal round of the 2004 playoffs. Bloomsburg had been 0-8 in postseason games, prior to Tuesday afternoon, since that opening round victory 14 years ago.

It was Slippery Rock, however, that scored the first goal of the match as Jordyn Binda chipped a cross from Skye Kramer beyond the reach of redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Jenna Hawkins (Fleetwood, Pa./Fleetwood), off the post, and into the back of the net for her seventh goal of the season in the 27th minute. The goal was the only tally of the first half - the first time the Huskies trailed at halftime since a 2-1 loss at Millersville on September 5 in the team's third match of the season. Binda's goal snapped Hawkins' consecutive minutes played streak without allowing a goal at 523:56 and stopped the team's streak at 613:56 without conceding a tally.

Bloomsburg held a slight, 6-4, edge in shot attempts in the opening 45 minutes.

The Huskies came out firing in the second half and took control of the match from that point as Bloomsburg maintained heavy pressure in the Slippery Rock end from the opening whistle.

Junior Megan Callan (Sykesville, Md./Century), who was in just her second game back following an injury that forced her to miss nine contests, notched her first goal of the season just under six minutes into the second half to knot the game at 1-1. Freshman Nicole Varano (Paxinos, Pa./Mt. Carmel) had an initial shot attempt blocked but the rebound came directly to Callan who drilled a perfectly-placed shot from the right wing into the top left corner of the goal past Slippery Rock goalkeeper Kylie Downs. Then, less than four minutes later, Callan sprinted down the right side and played a cross to the front of the goal where Barber was able to tap it in for her fifth goal of the season to give the Huskies a 2-1 advantage.

Barber gave the Huskies some cushion when she drilled a shot from roughly 25 yards out in the 69th minute to extend the lead to 3-1. It was Barber's second goal of the match, sixth goal of the season, and gave her the second multiple-goal game of her career - first since scoring three times in a 5-2 victory at Seton Hill on September 19, 2015. Sophomore Maggie McDonald (Burke, Va./West Potomac) was credited with the assist. McDonald then finished off the scoring in the 75th minute with her second goal of the season as she one-timed a cross from sophomore Lauren Hoelke (Blackwood, N.J./Highland Regional) to seal the victory.

Hawkins improved to 13-2-2 on the season as she was was credited with three saves in the victory. Downs dropped to 10-5-1 on the year with a four-save performance.

Bloomsburg posted a 12-1 advantage in shots in the second half and won the battle in that category, 18-5, for the match. Slippery Rock, however, had four corner kick opportunities to Bloomsburg's three.

Steph Pettit Stadium will now serve as the site for the women's soccer championship this Friday, November 2, and Sunday, November 4. Bloomsburg, the top seed, will play West Chester, the fourth seed, in the opening semifinal match on Friday beginning at 11:00 a.m. The second semifinal will get underway at 1:30 p.m. and will feature East Stroudsburg, the seventh seed, against the winner of the Millersville-Seton Hill quarterfinal match. The winners of the two semifinals will play for the PSAC Championship on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming tournament as they become available.

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