CLARION, Pa.--- The Golden Eagles soccer team opened the 2024 campaign with a 2-1 victory over Ursuline on Thursday afternoon, with Clarion putting pressure on the Arrows from the outset. The Clarion blitz was in full force as the Golden Eagles outshot Ursuline by a 21-17 margin, with six more of those shots being on goal.
This was the first time the Golden Eagles won their home opener since the 2021 season, when they defeated California 1-0.
The 1-1 tie was broken with just twenty minutes left on the game clock when sophomore
Alyssa Aquilio took control of the ball off a free kick, dribbled down the sideline and launched a shot from outside the box past the Ursuline goalkeeper Laetitia Shunemann. After breaking the tie, the physical Golden Eagles defense was able to create turnovers and control the tempo as the clock ran down to zero.
Clarion opened the game creating tons of opportunities for shots on goal, including six attempts in the first twenty minutes. The pressure being applied by the Golden Eagles finally culminated in a goal when
Sydney Taracatac forced a turnover in the offensive zone and passed it ahead to
Marisa Colondrillo. Colondrillo dribbled forward and loosed a left-foot shot from 30 feet out, netting her first goal of the year. In the first half, the Golden Eagles put 12 shots on net and controlled the time of possession to take a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Ursuline tied the game with 26:14 left in the second half when Amelie Fernandez capitalized on a rebound attempt and snuck it past goalkeeper
Alex Velez. Velez was otherwise strong in her 45 minutes of action, stopping three other attempts on the day. The Golden Eagles quickly responded with the Aquilio goal and held control for the rest of the remaining time to earn their first victory of the game.
Clarion split their time in goal with
Sage Sherk earning the start in the net, before Velez took over in the second half. The Golden Eagles backline of
Hailey Dobb and
Hannah Wagner played all
90 minutes of game action to help anchor the defense.
Women's soccer is back in action Saturday afternoon when they hit the road for a 1:00 p.m. matinee matchup at Walsh.
