MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — For the third straight November, the St. Mary’s College of Maryland women’s soccer team’s season ended on Penn State Harrisburg’s field with the United East Conference title on the line.
This time there was no shootout. Penn State Harrisburg scored in the 10th minute and again in the 87th to beat the third-seeded Seahawks 2-0 in the conference final Saturday afternoon, Nov. 7, according to the SMCM athletics recap. The Lions (11-5-2) took the United East’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.
St. Mary’s finished 9-9-3 and 6-2 in conference play.
How it happened
Abigail Mahaffey put Harrisburg ahead at 9:36, and the Lions carried the 1-0 lead into halftime.
The Seahawks pushed hardest after the break. Sophomore midfielder Addy Campbell put a shot on target in the 47th minute, and first-year Charlotte Bryan of Leonardtown followed with another. Harrisburg goalkeeper Sydney Mulka stopped both, then saved a second Bryan shot in the 60th minute.
The match turned in the 76th minute, when senior defender Allie Petryszak was shown a red card, leaving St. Mary’s a player short for the final 14 minutes. Olivia Sgrignioli finished a pass from Julia Hughes at 86:12 to seal it.
Sophomore goalkeeper Breanna Brown made two saves for St. Mary’s. The Seahawks’ defense held Harrisburg to six shots, four on goal.
By the numbers
| Stat | No. 3 SMCM | Penn State Harrisburg |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | 0 | 2 |
| Shots | 4 | 6 |
| Shots on goal | 3 | 4 |
| Saves | 2 | 3 |
| Corner kicks | 4 | 5 |
| Offsides | 2 | 5 |
| Fouls | 13 | 8 |
Bryan and Campbell each took two shots. Bryan put both on goal; Campbell had one on target.
Same opponent, same stage
Harrisburg has now beaten St. Mary’s in three consecutive United East finals. The 2024 and 2025 finals both ended in draws decided on penalty kicks, including last year’s shootout loss. The Lions also won this season’s only regular-season meeting, 2-0, on Sept. 29 in St. Mary’s City.
The Seahawks reached the final with a strong postseason run after finishing the regular season below .500. They routed Penn State Abington 6-1 in the quarterfinals, then won 1-0 at second-seeded Penn College on Bryan’s goal in the semifinal.
The young core carries over to next year. Bryan, a first-year, scored the semifinal winner and led the attack in the final, and Brown and Campbell are sophomores. Petryszak is among the seniors whose careers ended Saturday.
Up next: The Seahawks’ season is complete.
