READING, Pa. – The Penn State Berks women's soccer team fell to York (Pa.), 2-1, in the team's home opener on Friday night. Despite being outshot, 26-4, the Nittany Lions hung tough thanks to a tenacious defense and strong goalkeeping by Sophia Gonzalez. She made eight saves on the night.
York came out quickly, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the first half. Meg Kalthof opened the scoring with a floater over Gonzalez to the far side in the 14th minute, giving the Spartans the 1-0 advantage. Six minutes later, Alyssa Russell made it 2-0 with a heavy low shot from the top of the box.
During that time, Berks put some pressure on York's defense. Adriana Lepera had a pair of shots that couldn't find their mark, and Isabelle Wilkes also registered a shot on goal that was saved by York's starting goalkeeper, Joss Metz.
Berks got on the board in the 34th minute when Metz committed a foul in the box, and the Nittany Lions sent Mary King in for the penalty kick. She converted, and the Berks' deficit was cut in half.
The field tilted towards York in the second half, but the Spartans were held scoreless. Gonzalez had four of her saves in the second half, including on a point-blank shot by Lexi Mazzella in front of the goal. Defender Amber Scritchfield also made a nice play in the second half to thwart a potential scoring chance, chasing down a York attacker from behind to separate her from the ball.
The Nittany Lions return to action on Sunday with a noon kickoff at Ursinus.
