LANCASTER, Pa. - Ava Gregorio scored the lone goal of the contest in the 13th minute while Ava Rieger and the Catholic defense withstood second-half pressure from Franklin & Marshall to earn the Cardinals a season-opening 1-0 win. 

Catholic starts 1-0 for the second straight season as they look to build off last year's 12-win campaign. Gregorio, a junior forward from Marlboro, N.J., now has five career goals after a four-goal sophomore season. 

In the 13th minute of the contest, freshman Avery Bowman played a long through ball up the right wing, finding the foot of Peyton Coron who was able to redirect the bounding ball through the legs of a Franklin & Marshall defender and ahead to Gregorio. The junior took a right-footed rip from just inside the penalty area, freezing Diplomat keeper Lucy Fleming and finding the side netting for a 1-0 lead. 

One of the top defenses in the Landmark in 2023, Catholic picked up where it left off, limiting the Diplomat attack for much of the first half to keep the pressure off Rieger who made a pair of saves in the opening 45 minutes. 

Franklin & Marshall was the more threatening side in the second half, but the Cardinals stood firm, allowing possession into the final third, but avoiding major danger. All-Region defender Sam Cesario and captain Teighan Boyle played the full 90, battling to keep Franklin & Marshall off the board. 

In the 59th minute, Katherine Finnerty got a clean look from a similar spot to Gregorio's goal, but Rieger was able to punch it away for her third save. Less than four minutes later, the Diplomats put another shot on target, allowing Rieger to record her fourth save. 

The Diplomats threatened with just over three minutes left as a deflected ball into the box caused a collision between Rieger and Ellison Errington. Play was stopped momentarily as Rieger was checked out, but the junior finished the contest and collected her 13th career shutout.  22 different Cardinals saw the pitch with 11 players recording at least 40 minutes of game action. Alex Berish (65), Emily Harkins (43), and Kaitlyn Houri (48) all played at least 40 minutes off the bench. 

The Cardinals return to the pitch tomorrow night as they host Grove City at 7 p.m. The event is a BLACK OUT and all fans are encouraged to wear black clothing!