COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – A dazzling debut from first-year Kayla Harvey made the difference as the Ursinus College women's soccer team blanked Eastern, 1-0, in its long-awaited season opener on Thursday night.
Harvey shone brightest under the Patterson Field lights, scoring the game's lone goal in the first half to provide the Bears with an edge they never relinquished.
Izzy Allocco was a catalyst in the early going, testing Eastern's keeper with a pair of firm long-range free kicks before shaving the top of the bar with a curling left-footer in the 17th minute.
Harvey made her presence felt from the moment she stepped on the field, dazzling the crowd and drawing multiple "oohs" and "ahs" with lightning speed and fancy foot skills. She created two scoring chances within minutes of taking the pitch, then opened her account with a sensational individual effort in the 32nd minute. Harvey won the ball at midfield, spun around a defender, and jetted down the left side, eventually tucking a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner to give the Bears the lead.
The Bears kept up the pressure in the second half, but were unable to break through with an insurance tally. The back line held firm, however, and rookie goalie Mandy Carideo made the two saves she needed to preserve the shutout in her debut. Ursinus held the Eagles without a shot until late on, with Carideo moving up to make a nice save on a long-range free kick in the 69th minute. Gabi Hollinger fired just wide from inside the box with about 14 minutes to play, but otherwise the Bears managed to see the game through with little danger.
Harvey created several more chances in the second stanza, feeding a cross into the middle for Morgan Raley, who fired wide right. Raley then stung the palms of the Eastern keeper with a hard left-footed shot shortly after. Alex Chalmers also narrowly missed her own first goal in the final minutes, sending a low shot just across the face of goal after a pass from Harvey.
Zoe Moosbrugger nearly doubled the advantage with just over six minutes to play, but her free header on a perfect corner delivery from Allocco sailed just wide.
The Bears return to Patterson Field on Saturday for a date with Stevenson. First touch is set for 1 p.m.
Notes
- The Bears owned a 14-4 advantage in shots, posting seven in each half
- Allocco led the way with four shots, while Moosbrugger posted three