Box Score Abington, Pa. - The Penn State Abington Lady Lions suffered a tough loss this afternoon at the hands of their in-state rivals Penn State Harrisburg. Harrisburg got a hat-trick from leading scorer Lyndsay Naughton en route to a 4-0 drubbing of Abington. Sophomore goalkeeper Gabrielle Benedict had 12 saves in the losing effort for Abington.
 
Abington (10-5-1, 7-3-1 NEAC) seemed to be on the back heel from the start, with Harrisburg getting off the first three shots of the game in the opening 15 minutes. However, the back line of the Lady Lions worked well to keep Harrisburg (11-5, 9-1 NEAC) off the board. Abington played the offside trap well in the early part of the game, managing to force Harrisburg offside on numerous plays. Unfortunately for Abington, Harrisburg finally broke through in the 20^th minute, this time on a more successful through ball.
 
The right defender for Harrisburg sent a long through ball from her own half all the way behind Abington's defense on the left side. Junior forward Lyndsay Naughton who entered the match with 13 goals already, ran onto the ball and got in alone on goal. Benedict came off her line to cut down the angle, but in the end Naughton was able to finish just over Benedict's shoulder and into the left side of the net.
 
It took just three more minutes for Naughton to get her second. Once again, the Harrisburg midfield sent a ball through the middle of the Abington defense that Naughton was able to run on to. Once again, it was Benedict who was left alone and forced to come off her line to close down the angle. This time Naughton, coming from the left side of the box, chipped the ball over and past the dive of Benedict and towards the goal. With the ball now rolling slowly toward the cage, Naughton was all alone, taking one final touch to finish the ball into the center of the unprotected net.
 
It took just 8 more minutes for the talented midfielder from Harrisburg to complete her hat-trick. In the 31^st minute, Naughton brought the ball down the left sideline into the attacking third. Seeing an opening in the defense, Naughton cut to the inside at the top of the penalty box and took a right-footed shot. Benedict dove for it, but the ball got past the sophomore keeper and found its way into the right side of the netting, giving Harrisburg the 3-0 lead.
 
The Lady Lions of Abington had gone from even to three goals down in just eleven minutes, and the team never seemed to recover. In the second half, the Lady Lions were much more productive, getting off 8 of their 11 total shots in the game. However, the deficit was simply too great, and it was Harrisburg who continued to have all the best chances throughout the second half.
 
In the 80^th minute, Harrisburg freshman forward Fay Ansary was fouled in the penalty box by an Abington defender. Ansary stepped up to take the penalty kick, but sent the ball high over the crossbar, giving Abington a reprieve. Ansary redeemed herself just two minutes later, however, running onto another through ball and sending a shot just over Benedict to make the final score 4-0.
 
The loss puts a premium on getting a positive result from the final NEAC contest against Gallaudet this Wednesday evening for Abington. The Lady Lions currently sit at fourth place in the NEAC standings, but only one point ahead of the fifth and sixth place teams. If Abington hopes to host one of the two first round NEAC playoff games, they need to stay at least in fourth place to close out the season. Perhaps more importantly, Wednesday's match is also Senior Night for the Lady Lions. Be sure to come out to Father Judge Stadium at 5 p.m. to celebrate the accomplishments and dedication of all the senior Lady Lions soccer players.