ERIE, Pa. – Clarion (3-11-2, 3-8-3) fell to No. 9 Gannon (15-1-2, 11-1-2) by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday evening at McConnell Family Stadium.
The Golden Eagles' defense was tested early and often by the Golden Knights' attack, as Jessie Watkins found the back of the net in the third minute. Goalkeeper
Sage Sherk answered with a series of strong saves to keep Clarion within reach, while the back line held firm against sustained pressure. Offensively,
Marisa Colondrillo and
Lexi Shattahi each created chances, but the Golden Knights' defense remained steady.
Gannon continued to push forward with multiple scoring opportunities, but Sherk and the Clarion defense turned away several dangerous looks before Ella Fadale extended the lead in the 40th minute to make it 2-0 heading into halftime.
The Golden Knights came out of the break pressing hard, but substitute goalkeeper
Allie Smith made several key saves early in the half to keep Gannon off the board. However, Grace Emanuel added a third goal in the 68th minute to seal the result at 3-0.
Clarion continued to battle in the closing minutes, breaking through the Gannon defense for additional looks from Colondrillo and
Nadia Gill, but the Golden Eagles couldn't capitalize before time expired.
Sherk finished the first half with six saves on 17 total shots, while Smith added five saves on 10 attempts in the second half. Colondrillo led the Clarion offense with two shots, while Gill and Shattahi each registered one.
