Quick Start Pushes Lions Past Celtics, 3-1
by McKenzie Quirin
ALTOONA, Pa. – Penn State Altoona women's soccer picked up its first win of October, as it defeated Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent Carlow University, 3-1, on Wednesday afternoon at Spring Run Stadium.
Mallorie Smith (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) scored two goals to lead the way for Penn State Altoona (3-9-2, 3-3-1 AMCC), while Sophia Nelson (Bellwood, PA/Bellwood-Antis) also scored a goal in the Lions' victory. Camryn Kurilla (Mount Wolf, PA/Northeastern) recorded two assists, while Jordan Yaletsko (Philadelphia, PA/Philadelphia Academy Charter) and Emilee Roman (Davidsville, PA/Conemaugh Township) had one apiece.
Nicole Schwartz (Clifton, NJ/Passaic County Technical Institute) started her 11th game of the season at goalkeeper for the Lions and recorded five saves on six shots, securing her third win of the fall between the pipes.
Smith started the scoring early for Penn State Altoona, when she scored her 11th of the season at 13:07 to give the Lions the early 1-0 lead. The Lions were not done during the first half, as Nelson netted her second goal of the season exactly one minute after Smith's goal, 14:07, to extend the Lions' lead to 2-0.
Carlow (2-8-3, 2-4-1 AMCC) challenged the Lions in the back end of the first half, as they found themselves with a few good scoring chances but ultimately could not convert on those opportunities, allowing the Lions to keep a hold of their 2-0 lead.
Early in the second half, Carlow cut its deficit in half, as Arley Wilson's tally at the 62:01 mark got the Celtics on the board and made it 2-1.
The Lions answered less than 10 minutes after the Celtics' goal to reclaim their two-goal advantage. Smith scored on a header at the 71:22 mark, assisted by Roman, to extend the Lions' lead to 3-1 on her 12th goal of the fall.
Penn State Altoona finished the day with a 25-13 advantage in shots. The Lions saw shots from Jordan Yaletsko (Philadelphia, PA/Philadelphia Academy Charter) with two, one going on goal; Roman with two shots, one going on goal; Schenley Farrell (Philipsburg, PA/Philipsburg-Osceola) with four shots, two going on goal; Nelson with one shot that ended up getting past the keeper; Taylor Matula (Middlesex, NJ/Middlesex) with one shot; Dee Dee Abbott (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) with three shots, one going on goal; Kurilla with one shot going on goal. Smith contributed 11 shots, with four of those shots on goal for the Lions.
Next up, the Penn State Altoona women's soccer team hosts AMCC opponent Pitt-Bradford in its final home game at Spring Run Stadium on Saturday, October 21, at 2 p.m. The game will honor the Lions' seniors on Senior Day, as well as Kick Cancer Day.
