MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – Penn State Harrisburg's women's soccer team used a big second half to run away from Bryn Athyn in a 5-0 shutout victory in United East Championship Tournament Quarterfinal action on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 2.
Julia Hughes found the back of the net twice, while Diana Pon racked up four total points thanks to a goal and a pair of assists. Ava Fox and Katelyn Monette each added markers after halftime.
Penn State Harrisburg (9-5-4) struck first midway through the opening half when Pon continued her recent tear by making a nifty move to create space before firing her attempt past Bryn Athyn goalkeeper Chloe Munyon in the 24th minute.
Despite a dozen shots for the home team in the first half, the visiting Lions (7-9-1) kept the deficit to one at the break. It was a different story after halftime, however, with Penn State Harrisburg converting four times to create plenty of breathing room down the stretch.
The first strike of the second half belonged to Hughes off a feed from Pon in the 58th minute and the pair hooked up again little more than a minute later to push the advantage to 3-0 with 30:08 left to play. The home team kept the pressure on and added an insurance goal less than five minutes later when Fox finished off a find from Kara Slavin in the 63rd minute.
Monette put an exclamation point on the game's scoring with a marker in the 85th minute, converting a pass from Serenity Hill to close out the win and send Penn State Harrisburg on to the semifinal round.
NOTABLES
- The shutout was Penn State Harrisburg's 11th of the season.
- Penn State Harrisburg outshot Bryn Athyn 27-4 overall and 22-3 in shots on frame.
- The home team earned six corner kicks while the visiting Lions had none.
- With her pair of goals, Hughes increased her team-leading total to 10 on the season.
- Thanks to her marker and pair of assists, Pon now has 18 total points on the fall.
- Monette's strike was her seventh golf of the year.
- Fox's goal was her second of the season.
- Sydney Mulka made a pair of saves in goal to preserve the shutout.
WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions will host fifth-seeded Penn State Abington for United East Championship Tournament Semifinal action on Wednesday night.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X, and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.
