Catholic upends Juniata women’s soccer, 2-1

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – A Juniata College comeback fell short at the Eagle women's soccer team dropped a 2-1 decision to Catholic University, in Landmark Conference women's soccer action on Saturday on Winton Hill Field in Huntingdon, Pa.

The Cardinals' Maggie McCarthy opened the scoring early, with a blast from 17 yards out that found the upper left corner of the Juniata goal in the game's third minute.

Catholic (4-4-1, 1-0-0 Landmark) widened the lead to 2-0 in the 53rd minute with Kelly Donnely's score that deflected off a Juniata defender and into the goal, following a corner kick by Diana Spadaro.

Juniata (6-3-0, 1-1-0 Landmark) ended Catholic's shutout bid in the 83rd minute, when Sarah Ruggiero (Bangor, Pa./Bangor) found the back of the Catholic goal with a shot from seven yards away. Ruggiero's goal came amidst a late counterattack by the Eagles, who outshot the Cardinals 5-0 over the final 20 minutes of play.

Eagle keeper Lauren Auster-Gussman (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Country Day) recorded seven saves over 90 minutes, while Catholic's Tere Rossi logged three saves. Catholic outshot Juniata 15-12 over the entire game, including a 9-4 advantage in the first half alone. Each team had six corner kick opportunities.

Juniata returns to action on Wednesday, Oct. 8, when it faces Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.