Women’s Soccer Downs Express 12-0 for First Win
by McKenzie Quirin
ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's soccer team picked up its first win of the 2023 season on Saturday afternoon at Spring Run Stadium, as the Lions overwhelmed new Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Wells College 12-0 to tie the program's single-game goals record.
In addition to the team record, Mallorie Smith (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) set a new individual single-game record for the Lions in today's victory, as she netted six goals.
Smith (eight shots on goal; 10 shot attempts) and Camryn Kurilla (Mount Wolf, PA/Northeastern) (six shots on goal; 11 shot attempts) led all players in the game with a combined 21 shot attempts, including putting 14 shots on goal. Penn State Altoona's team total of 55 shot attempts established a new single-game record.
Goalkeepers Nicole Schwartz (Clifton, NJ/Passaic County Technical Institute), Caitlin Cowen (South Park, PA/South Park) and Evan Ianni (Chesapeake, VA/Oscar Smith) saw playing time between the pipes, with Ianni making one stop on the only shot of the game for Express.
Penn State Altoona (1-6-1, 1-0 AMCC) got off to an early start, as Smith scored the first goal of the game at 3:10, assisted by Carly Neidig (Milton, PA/Milton). The Lions held onto their 1-0 lead as Wells College (0-4, 0-1 AMCC) pressed on. At 17:24, Smith added to the Lions' lead with her second goal of the game.
Shortly thereafter, Dee Dee Abbott (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) scored her first goal of the season to extend the Lions' lead to 3-0 at 20:11. As the Lions continued to pour on the goals, Smith netted two goals almost two minutes apart, and after a goal from Kurilla, they finished the first half blanking the Express 6-0.
Neidig widened the Lions lead to seven early in the second half, as she scored her first collegiate goal at 47:39. Smith went on to score Penn State Altoona's next two goals at 49:08 and 50:49, exactly one minute and 41 seconds apart from each other, to clinch the new Lions' single-game goals record.
Meria Bertrand (Irvington, NJ/Irvington) contributed the Lions' 10th goal of the game, as she netted her first college goal at 68:44. Taylor Matula (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) also came up with her first collegiate goal, scoring the Lions' 11th goal at 76:03. To finish the impressive win, the Lions' Erin McCarrie (Blackwood, NJ/Paul VI) netted her first college goal, which represented her team's 12th goal of the game at 79:29.
Penn State Altoona led Wells in shots, as the Lions had 17 players contribute a combined 55 shots, including 35 shots on goal.
The Penn State Altoona women's soccer team is back on the road Tuesday, September 26, as it faces AMCC foe La Roche University at 4 p.m.
