CLARION, Pa. – It was a tale of two defenses on Saturday as Clarion and Mercyhurst met at Memorial Stadium, but the Lakers took advantage of an opening to defeat the Golden Eagles 1-0 on a rainy night.

Clarion (4-10-1, 4-9-1 PSAC West) had opportunities of their own but were unable to cash in.

Shots on goal were 8-1 in favor of Mercyhurst, including several high-risk plays for the Lakers, but neither team was able to crack the other’s defense in the opening 45 minutes of action. Goalkeeper Alexandra Velez made four saves in the first half, including a leaping punch to knock away a free-kick opportunity by Amber Thomas in the 27th minute. Thomas drew a foul from Kayla McNamara just outside of the box, allowing her to set up for a free kick from close range. Her shot was good but Velez’s save was better, as the keeper tipped the ball clear of the net.

The Golden Eagles put more shots toward the net in the second half of action, including their best scoring chance of the night in the 66th minute. Madison Spitko received a pass with her back to the opposition in the right-hand corner before spinning around Sydney Snyder, beating her cleanly and carrying the ball in deep. She passed the ball off to Kylee Cross, who bent a shot with her left foot that Mercyhurst goalkeeper Maddie Elbro just barely defended.

The Lakers finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the 73rd minute when Dani Hartman found a crack in the Clarion defense. She passed to Emily Mijares in the box, with the latter firing an off-balance shot that snuck past Velez to make it 1-0. The Golden Eagles were unable to pressure Elbro further as the Lakers took the win.