Pitt-Johnstown women's soccer fought back with two second-half goals but couldn't complete the comeback, falling 4-2 to Edinboro on Saturday in the Mountain Cats' PSAC West home opener at Richland High School.
Edinboro (2-2-0, 2-1-0) jumped ahead with a goal in each of the first two periods before adding a pair in the second half to build a 4-0 cushion. But Pitt-Johnstown (1-3-0, 0-2-0) showed resilience down the stretch, with Rylee Fry and Katie Wiley finding the back of the net within four minutes of each other late in the second half to make things interesting.
Fry's goal came in the 79th minute off an assist from Giovanna Fuchel, marking Fry's second goal of the season. Wiley followed just over three minutes later in the 83rd minute, scoring unassisted to pull Pitt-Johnstown within two.
Edinboro opened the scoring in the fourth minute when Jordyn Miller converted an assist from Adison Cook. The Fighting Scots added to their lead in the 40th minute on a goal from Samantha Saylor. Edinboro pulled away in the second half with goals from Hailey Marchlewski in the 68th minute and Jada Cole in the 72nd minute, the latter assisted by Marchlewski.
Parker Grimm anchored the Pitt-Johnstown defense in net, making six saves across 73 minutes and 35 seconds of work despite allowing four goals on a high-volume Edinboro attack. Gianna Cardillo closed out the match in relief, playing the final 16:25 and preserving a clean sheet in her time on the field. Despite being outshot 15-6 overall, the Mountain Cats' goalkeeping tandem kept the margin manageable and gave the offense the chance to answer late.
Nicole Hawk and Marissa Mackey each tested the Edinboro defense with shots in the match, while the Mountain Cats' late-game push showed the fight that has become a hallmark of this young season.
Pitt-Johnstown returns to action Wednesday when the Mountain Cats host a PSAC West match against Indiana (PA) at 1:00 p.m. at Pitt-Johnstown Soccer Field.
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