ALFRED, NY - The Alfred University women's soccer team began their fall season with a 3-0 loss to Penn College on Friday night from Merrill Field. 

The Saxons (0-1-0, 0-0 Empire 8) defended 11 shots on the afternoon, six of which were on goal for the Wildcats (1-0-0, 0-0 United East). 

Abby Scanlan (Albion, NY/Charles D'Amico) and Lina Young (North Collins, NY/North Collins) each finished the game with three shots. Ava Thayer (Nunda, NY/Keshequa) recorded a shot on goal. Kiani Barnard-Pratt (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) totaled three saves for Alfred University.

"Not the best start to the season for us," Head Coach Craig Yanni said. "I thought our energy level was low and that we couldn't get much going on the offensive side of the ball. We are looking forward to the quick turnaround and getting a chance to have a better showing tomorrow."

The Saxons set the tone offensively to begin the first half, with Scanlan recording a shot on goal during the eighth minute of play. Meanwhile, the defense did not allow a shot attempt to the Wildcats across the first 25 minutes. Young attempted a shot for the Saxons, but neither side managed to find the back of the net before going into halftime with a scoreless draw. 

In the 51st minute, a miraculous penalty kick save by Barnard-Pratt deflected in front of Penn, who scored on a second chance opportunity to take the lead. Moments later, impressive shots by Thayer and Scanlan were saved by the Wildcats. Later in the half, a shot by Penn went off the crossbar, but positioning allowed the Wildcats to extend their lead. The Wildcats added one more goal in the 84th minute to close out the game with the victory. 

Alfred University will next face Chatham University on Saturday with the first half scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM.