ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's soccer team got its 2018 season off to a strong start on Friday evening, when the Lady Lions posted a 4-0 shutout of non-conference opponent Wilson College at Spring Run Stadium.

Amanda Ayers (Sweet Valley, PA/Lake-Lehman) scored two goals for Penn State Altoona (1-0), while Kierra Irwin (Altoona, PA/Altoona) finished with a goal and an assist.

Sydney Emershaw (Dallas, PA/Dallas) started the game in goal and made one save while playing the first half, clinching a win. Riley Barrett (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) played a scoreless second half between the pipes.

Ayers got Penn State Altoona on the board at 11:45, when she took Jenna Mickel's (Murrysville, PA/Franklin Regional) cross and found the back of the net for her first collegiate goal.

Sadie McConnell (New Enterprise, PA/Northern Bedford) also notched her first collegiate goal, taking a long ball down the middle of the field from Irwin and scoring at 19:28 to put Penn State Altoona ahead 2-0.

Ayers tacked on her second goal of the game at 20:07, when she took a pass from Alana Masullo (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) and scored on a shot from the left side of the box.

Irwin padded Penn State Altoona's lead with a late second half goal, scoring on a shot from inside the top of the box at 82:15 to make it 4-0.

The Lady Lions turned in a dominant performance in the statistical categories. The team outshot Wilson 36-1, including holding a 15-1 advantage in shots on goal. Penn State Altoona also had a 14-0 advantage in corner kicks.

Penn State Altoona's total of 36 shots is tied for the eighth-most in a single game in Lady Lions program history.

Irwin led all players with nine total shot attempts, tying for the ninth-most in a single game ever by a Penn State Altoona women's soccer player. Autumn Adams (Houtzdale, PA/Moshannon Valley) finished with six shots, including a team-high four shots on goal, while McConnell had five shots and Ayers recorded four.

Lady Lions soccer returns to the pitch tomorrow, Saturday, September 1, when the team plays another home game against non-conference Cairn University at 3:00 p.m.