CLARION, Pa. — Clarion (3-8-1, 3-5-1) secured a 2-1 victory over Pitt-Johnstown (2-5-4, 2-5-2) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with the Golden Eagles netting the game-winning goal in the second half.
The first half began with Clarion demonstrating a strong offensive presence.
Hailey Dobb registered an early shot that was saved, while
Ciara DiMauro continued to test the Mountain Cats goalkeeper Emma Morin, generating multiple attempts.
Sage Sherk was reliable in goal, saving two shots in quick succession to maintain the scoreline.
As the half progressed, Clarion's persistence paid off.
Madison Rose broke the deadlock in the 41st minute. The Golden Eagles exhibited excellent touch, taking the ball up from midfield on a quick succession of passes from
Marisa Colondrillo and DiMauro.
Evelyn Cook pushed the ball ahead to
Leah Deal, who dropped a pass back to Rose for a goal from over 100 feet out to give the Golden Eagles a 1-0 advantage at half.
The second half began with a strong start for Clarion as Deal found the back of the net in the 46th minute.
Sofia Barba forced a turnover and passed off to DiMauro, who led a pass to Colondrillo down the righthand side. Colondrillo made a perfect cross pass to Deal, who tapped the ball past Morin This and extended the lead to 2-0. The Mountain Cats responded quickly with a goal from Rylee Fry in the 55th minute, narrowing the score to 2-1.
The Golden Eagles maintained pressure throughout the half, with several attempts on goal from DiMauro and Rose, all saved by Morin. Sherk made key saves to preserve the home team's lead. Despite numerous fouls and defensive challenges, Clarion held strong defensively to close the half with a 2-1 victory.
Deal scored one goal and added an assist, contributing to a total of three points in the game, including the game-winning goal. DiMauro provided an assist and led the team with seven shots, five of which were on target. Sherk, in goal, made four saves to secure the team's victory.
