MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland women's soccer team concluded its season Saturday afternoon, falling 2-0 to Penn State Harrisburg in the United East Conference Championship final.
The Seahawks (9-9-3) battled throughout the contest but were unable to overcome an early goal from the Lions (11-5-2) and a second-half insurance tally.
Penn State Harrisburg opened the scoring in the 10th minute when Abigail Mahaffey found the back of the net to give the Lions a 1-0 advantage. St. Mary's worked to generate opportunities offensively but entered halftime trailing by one.
The Seahawks came out aggressively in the second half, creating several scoring chances in an effort to level the match. Addy Campbell put a shot on target in the 47th minute, followed shortly by Charlotte Bryan, but Penn State Harrisburg goalkeeper Sydney Mulka turned aside both attempts. Bryan continued to threaten, putting another shot on goal in the 60th minute, which Mulka saved to preserve the Lions' lead.
St. Mary's goalkeeper Breanna Brown kept the Seahawks within striking distance, recording two saves on the afternoon. The defensive effort limited Penn State Harrisburg to six total shots, with four on target, while St. Mary's finished with four shots and three shots on goal.
The match took a difficult turn for the Seahawks in the 76th minute when Allie Petryszak received a red card, leaving St. Mary's shorthanded for the remainder of the contest. Penn State Harrisburg capitalized late, with Olivia Sgrignioli scoring in the 87th minute off an assist from Julia Hughes to seal the 2-0 result.
Despite the loss, the Seahawks showed resilience throughout the postseason contest, competing against a strong Penn State Harrisburg side and creating second-half opportunities before the Lions added their late goal.
St. Mary's finished the season with a 9-0-3 overall record and a 6-2-0 mark in United East play.
