Box Score Abington, Pa. - The Penn State Abington women's soccer squad shrugged off a slow start this afternoon at Abington High School to complete another dominating victory, this time over Notre Dame University of Maryland (4-7, 1-5 CSAC). The Lady Lions (10-4, 7-2) suffocated any semblance of a Gators offense, outshooting the visitors by a 18-3 margin en route to a 2-0 victory.
 
It at first appeared that this game would be a very closely contested affair. Each team only managed to record a single shot within the first 18 minutes, while most of the play took place in hotly contested midfield battles. Numerous fouls were called, and when promising attacks did take place, they were called back for players being offside. Frustration was apparent on the faces and in the voices of numerous players, and at 20 minutes into the first half, the game hung in the balance.
 
However, under the careful but firm direction of head coach David Castellanos, as well as the awareness and skill of the Lady Lions on the field, a breakthrough finally took place in the 26^th minute. After earning a corner kick several minutes earlier, Penn State Abington's offense finally took control of the game. The Lady Lions kept up the pressure on the Gators for an extended period of time, making them defend in their own third until they finally lost their shape. It was senior Brittany Palmer who finally drove home the first goal, with an assist from sophomore Sam Whalen. Whalen took possession of a turnover by the Gators along the left side of the field and dribbled down towards the corner flag. With a defender shadowing her the whole way, Whalen cut back and sent a brilliant, hard cross deep into the middle of the penalty box. Palmer had slipped away from her own defender and had excellent positioning, soaring high into the air and sending a powerful header directly into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
 
With this first goal, it seemed inevitable that the floodgates would finally break and the Lady Lions would cruise away with the game. Although Penn State Abington did control the rest of the half, getting seven more shots and two more corner kicks off, there were no more goals to be had, and as the halftime whistle blew, the score remained 1-0.
 
The second half was more of the same for the home squad, as the Lady Lions continued to dominate possession and shots, but still could not find the back of the net. Finally, in the 67^th minute, Penn State Abington got their only insurance goal of the afternoon. This time, it was Desirae Holmes who did most of the hard work, taking a pass down the left sideline and dribbling all the way down towards the corner. In almost an exact repeat of the first goal, Holmes cut back and fired a high cross into the center of the penalty box. Once again, a Lady Lion was in great position to let fly with a header, this time being freshman Cindy Wade. Wade found the back of the net for the sixth time this season, tying her for the team lead with Holmes and Palmer.
 
Try as they might, Penn State Abington simply could not break through the Notre Dame defense any further, and the game ended as a 2-0 win for the home team. The victory was the third straight for the Lady Lions, who next face Penn State Berks, a crucial matchup as the neighboring Nittany Lions currently sit atop the NEAC standings with a perfect 9-0 conference record. The game will be held at 1 p.m. in Reading. Be sure to keep tuning into abingtonsports.com for all your Lady Lions updates.