Lady Lions take down Mont Alto in final home game

By: Matylda Zamudio

New Brighton, Pa. – For their last home game of the regular season, the Penn State Beaver Lady Lions soccer team took on the ladies of Penn State Mont Alto on Tuesday. Today's match is the second time these teams have played each other this season with Beaver nabbing the first one on Mont Alto's home field. Tuesday's win also marks the last home game for seniors Bukuru Edisa, Taja Finley and Brittany Zahn, who were all honored at the game for their hard work and dedication during their time on the Beaver women's soccer team. Beaver's record is currently at 3-4 in the regular reason and will battle today to secure a final home victory.

As the game began, Beaver took some time to get going on offense as the team looked complacent on passing. But the ladies started to gel eight minutes in and moved the ball down to Mont Alto's 18-yard line. Abbie Miller fired two shots in under a minute, but the first one was wide and the second one was saved by Mont Alto's goaltender. In the 11th minute, Mont Alto won the ball and ran straight past Beaver's defenders. Mont Alto shot two balls in less than three minutes but thanks to her swift reflexes, Zahn saved both shots at the net. Midway through the first period, Beaver was in scoring range at the 12-yard line, and Abbie Miller got open and landed Beaver its first goal on the board on an assist by Edisa (1-0). Then, Mont Alto grabbed possession in midfield, drove the ball down to Beaver's 18-yard line and fired a shot on goal but bounced off the crossbar. With only nine minutes of the first period to go, the ladies got aggressive and fought their way down the field. Then, Edisa dribbled past a defender and shot the ball straight into Mont Alto's net on an assist by Joy Baker. The Lady Lions were up 2-0 at the end of the half.

In the second period, Mont Alto gained possession early and shot at Beaver's goal in the first two minutes, but Zahn saved the play. The teams went back and forth for the next four minutes, both taking shots on each other's goals. After Mont Alto received an offside, Miller found her way back to the 12-yard line and scored her second goal on an assist by Edisa (3-0). As the clock wound down on the second, both teams turned the ball over several times. Then at the 69th minute, Mont Alto launched the ball right past Zahn to score the team's first goal (3-1). But six minutes later, first the first time this season, Peyton Mattson scored another Beaver goal in the 76th minute. In the final minutes of the game, Beaver locked-down on defense and ended the game with a 4-1 win.

Miller headed the offense tonight with 2 goals, followed by Edisa and Mattson who each contributed a goal. Britney Zahn had a great game and allotted 10 saves to end the day.

After Tuesday's win, Beaver improves to 4-4 overall in the regular season and 2-2 in the PSUAC standings and retains third place. Beaver will be on the road this Thursday, Oct. 11 to face off against Mount Aloysius. The game will begin at 7 p.m.