PITTSBURGH, Pa. - A late first half goal proved to be the difference, as Ohio Northern edged the Gators 1-0 to close out the Carnegie Mellon Tartan Cup.
The Allegheny defense was solid throughout, surrendering just seven shots to the Polar Bears, but the Gator offense continued to struggle, as they were held to just two shots while being dealt their fourth shutout loss of the year.
Ohio Northern's offense put pressure on the Gators early, getting off five shots in the span. Allegheny sophomore keeper
Christina Gallagher turned aside both shots on goal, and the game remained scoreless.
The defense then took over in the middle stages of the first half, with neither team posting a shot between the 20th and 34th minutes. The Polar Bears would get on the board on their sixth and final shot of the first half, with McKenna Welsh scoring off an assist from Sarah Puntel to make it 1-0 with just over 11 minutes left until the intermission.
Welsh's goal proved to be the final scoring chance for each team over the first half, with the Polar Bears maintaining the one-goal halftime lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Gallagher made her third save of the afternoon, but both defenses would then clamp down in a big way. A Gator corner kick in the 51st minutes proved to be the last real scoring threat for either team until a last-minute surge by the Gators.
Over the final minutes of the second half, Allegheny held a decided edge in possession, and it nearly proved fruitful. On a final charge in the 90th minute, the Gators'
Brianna Layman was saved at close range, before
Sarah Donohue's put-back attempt was also saved by Ohio Northern's Emily Brodict. The rebound on Donohue's attempt caromed out of bounds, giving the Gators' their fifth corner kick of the day with 10 seconds left, but time ran out, and the Polar Bears held on.
The Gators will return to action on Tues. Sept. 15, making the short trip to Grove City to take on the Wolverines at 4:30 p.m.
