CLARION, Pa. – The Golden Eagle soccer team engaged in a defensive duel at home on Wednesday evening, with Clarion eventually coming to a scoreless draw with Seton Hill at Memorial Stadium.
Alex Velez made four saves in her second shutout of the year as neither side could fill the net.
Of the two teams, it appeared the Golden Eagles had the better of the high-danger scoring chances. Though Clarion only officially put two shots on net, a number of strong scoring chances went just wide of the net. One such opportunity came in the 22
nd minute, when
Taylor Serrano tracked down a ball on the long run into the offense end. Seton Hill goalkeeper Grace Kenyon came out to challenge a potential shot but the ball ricocheted back to
Kylee Cross, who sent a low, bouncing shot that ended up just wide left.
The opportunity was emblematic of an aggressive offensive approach by the Golden Eagles, who kept the pressure on the Griffins throughout all 90 minutes. Cross had another long attempt early in the second half, taking a pass from Serrano and blasting one from 30 yards out that just missed the right goalpost.
Some of the best chances came in the last five minutes, though, with Cross and
Alayna Wicker just missing on a pair of chances. Cross had a free kick opportunity from roughly 31 yards out and tried to pick the upper lefthand corner, but Kenyon leaped in the air and gloved it. Wicker had her own chance on a run with less than three minutes remaining, but she could not elevate the shot as Kenyon took the bouncer.
Seton Hill had some of their best opportunities about 60 minutes into the contest, with Alexis Garia missing wide on a couple of shots. The Griffins teed up a corner kick with 30 seconds remaining but could not connect on the pass.
