GRANTHAM, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's soccer team put together 90 of the most well-played minutes in program history at nationally-ranked Messiah on Tuesday night and came away with a signature win thanks to a 1-0 shutout victory over the No. 4 team in the nation at Shoemaker Field.


Diana Pon's first-half penalty kick proved the difference, while the defensive effort was stellar across the board. Despite being outshot, Penn State Harrisburg (9-5-2) held off the home team's potent offense in crunch time, highlighted by goalkeeper Alexis Valenta's six saves. 


While Messiah (12-2) held possession for much of the opening half, the Lions swarmed to their marks, poking away possession and slowing the opposing rush throughout the night. Despite the home team earning two corner kicks, Valenta made three stops in the first 33 minutes to keep things scoreless as the half wore down.


The visitors eventually pushed forward late in the half on a long ball from Katie Brown and stayed patient when Olivia Sgrignioli found Katelyn Monette in the box. Monette was tripped up on the left side and the foul resulted in a penalty kick that was taken by Pon. The team's leading-scorer stepped up and calmly buried the PK, beating Messiah goalkeeper Ava Wert with 1:05 remaining in the half. 


After the break, Penn State Harrisburg kept the pressure on as Julia Hughes forced Wert to make a stop in the 47th minute, while midfielders Abigail Frew and Ava Myers used their physicality to limit Messiah's attack. The Falcons earned a pair of corner kicks in the 60th and 62nd minutes, respectively, but came away empty each time. Messiah pushed the pace in the game's final third but the Lions moved and recovered well as a unit to keep the home team off the board.


The final 10 minutes saw the Falcons ramp up the aggression, earning two corner opportunities and getting off five shots. One attempt hit the post. Another went out high. When needed most, however, Valenta made a pair of outstanding saves to thwart Nikki Davis and Ella Lent-Koop from scoring potential equalizers with less than eight minutes to play. 


With Messiah pushing nearly every player forward down the stretch, Penn State Harrisburg's back line of Mackenzie Mowery, Katie Brown, Kara Slavin, Ciera Frick and reigning United East Defensive Player of the Week Kylie Yap played keep away in the final seconds to end the comeback bid and seal the thrilling victory over a nationally-ranked opponent for the first time this season.


NOTABLES
- No. 4 Messiah is the highest-ranked opponent Penn State Harrisburg has ever defeated. 
- Tuesday's contest was the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
- The Lions handed the Falcons their first regular-season home setback since the 2023 campaign.
- The shutout was Penn State Harrisburg's eighth clean sheet this year.
- Pon's PK was her team-leading 12th marker of the season, as well as her fourth game-winning goal this fall. 
- Valenta's six saves on the night matched her career high. 
- The Lions held a Messiah squad averaging more than nine shots on goal to just six shots on frame.


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions return to United East play on short rest when they travel to Cairn on Wednesday night. 


STAY CONNECTED
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