ALTOONA, Pa. (Sept. 10) – A pair of sophomores scored their first career goals to lead Saint Vincent to a 2-1, non-conference victory over Penn State-Altoona.
 
Hailie Stamm and Abby Karkowski each netted their first markers to move the Bearcats to 3-1 on the season, their best start since the 2012 squad won six of its first seven games.
 
While the score was close, the Bearcats held a commanding edge in possession, out-shooting the Lions (0-4) 19-7 on the afternoon, with nine shots on goal, while SVC took 12 of the game's 13 corner kicks.
 
Saint Vincent was strong coming out of the gates, racking up four shots and two corner kicks in the game's opening 14 minutes. The Bearcats would cash in on their fifth shot of the day, when an Altoona clearing attempt in front of the goal deflected off of Stamm and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 with 28:30 left in the opening frame.
 
The lead was short-lived for SVC, as the Lions tied it up just three minutes later when Sophia Nelson tapped in a pass after a long run by Nicole Schwartz.  
 
Play evened out over the next several minutes, as the two teams traded shots, with SVC keeper Madison Arnold making a pair of saves to preserve the lead.
 
After Arnold's second stop in the span, a diving stop on an attempt from the doorstep, the Bearcats quickly advanced up the field. Brooke Garman dribbled through traffic and found Karkowski in the middle of the box with a perfect cross, and the sophomore directed it home with her left foot to give SVC the 2-1 lead with 6:02 remaining in the first half.
 
Though the Bearcats were unable to add any insurance over the second half, they dominated possession for the duration of the frame, outshooting the Lions 10-1 and taking five corner kicks to their opponents' one. The Lions' lone shot of the half came in the 85th minute, but was gobbled up by Arnold to preserve the lead.
 
Twelve different Saint Vincent players registered at least one shot on the afternoon, led by four from Tanisha Grewal and three from Faith Steen.
 
Arnold recorded four saves on the day to earn her third win of the season between the pipes.
 
Saint Vincent will continue its busy week on Wednesday, Sept. 13, traveling to Chambersburg to take on Wilson College beginning at 4 p.m.