WASHINGTON, D.C. - Freshman goalkeeper Abigail Kearney and the Catholic defense held 15th-ranked TCNJ scoreless for nearly 67 minutes before falling shy in Thursday night's season opener. Kearney made six saves and the Cardinals looked the stronger attacking side for much of the home opener before Sophie Popp deflected a pass from Jess Hatch into the back of the cage in overtime at the 66:53 mark. 

The Cardinals outshot the Lions in the first and fourth periods by a combined total of 18-2 but just couldn't put one past TCNJ keeper Dani Britton in the 1-0 defeat. Sophomore Emma Shallow put five shots on target against the Lions to lead the attack for Catholic (0-1) while fellow sophomore Niki Micchice had three shots on goal. Micchice had the best scoring opportunity of the contest for Catholic seven minutes into the third quarter. Britton drew a whistle on a Catholic attack, setting up a penalty stroke for the Winchester, Mass. native, but her attempt was pushed just left of the mark to keep the game scoreless. 

The Cardinals racked up a stout 17 penalty corners, including 11 in the final period, generating 13 more corner opportunities than the Lions. TCNJ (1-0) totaled 14 shots for the contest, generating 11 of the 14 in the second and third quarters, but Kearney and the rest of the Catholic defense stood tall against the challenge in the middle periods. 

This is the second straight year in which Catholic has stood toe-to-toe with a ranked TCNJ bunch. The Cardinals also battled the Lions in a one-goal game in 2021's season opener. 

Rachel Palumbo's team will hit the road for three straight contests, kicking off the stretch with a contest at Rowan on Saturday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. in Glassboro, N.J.