MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's women's soccer team battled to a scoreless draw with Dickinson in the season opener at the college's multipurpose turf complex on Friday night, August 29. 


The first half saw strong defensive efforts from both teams, with Alexis Valenta making crucial saves for the Lions, including a notable stop against Joelle Ma's attempt from the left side of the box. Penn State Harrisburg had a handful of opportunities on the offensive side, including a corner kick by Ava Fox and a shot by Diana Pon that was just over the crossbar. Despite these attempts, the score remained tied 0-0 going into halftime, with both teams demonstrating disciplined play amidst fouls and offside calls.


Valenta's strong defense in goal was highlighted throughout the second half, starting with a kick-save of an Ava Prisco attempt in the 46th minute before making a massive point-blank stop on Priso again with three and a half minutes to play. In the same exchange, Katie Brown made a clutch defensive save to keep things scoreless before one last Valenta stop in the final minute preserved the clean sheet in dramatic fashion. 


NOTABLES
- Kylie Yap had a pair of shots on target for the Lions from her outside back position. 
- Pon also tallied two shots on goal and two more for good measure.
- Valenta spent they entire contest in goal for Penn State Harrisburg, posting six game-saving stops.
- The Red Devils' goalkeeper Lauren Hollis had four total saves on the night. 


WHO'S NEXT?
The Lions are set to travel to Mary Washington for a non-conference matchup on Sunday afternoon, August 29.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.