Patton's Late Goal Gives Athens 2-1 Win Over Wellsboro

By: Ed Weaver  /  October 21, 2026  /  Photo: Jason Robson

A goal by Athens' Delanie Patton with just over six minutes remaining broke a 1-1 draw and gave the Lady Wildcats a 2-1 win over the Wellsboro Girls Soccer team on Tuesday night.

"These losses hurt because of how much these girls care, how hard they work and how much they mean to each other," said head coach Michael Reese. "I told them afterward that they left everything on the field, and nobody should ever walk away from a game like this thinking they could have tried harder. But what meant the most to me was watching them take care of each other when it hurt. I saw teammates step up, leaders emerge and girls make sure nobody had to carry the disappointment alone. As a coach, you want your team to compete and win, but you also hope you're building something bigger than soccer. Tonight, I saw that. I couldn't be more proud of this group."

Patton scored both of Athens' goals on the night. Her first one came unassisted with 31:47 remaining in the first period. Wellsboro struck just past the midway point of the second as senior Megan Newruck converted a pass from junior Carly Blackwell with 18:08 remaining, knotting the game at 1-all before Patton scored off an assist from Brinley Nichols.

Both teams had six shots on goal and five corner kicks apiece.

Senior Jadyn Dunlap made 3 saves in goal.

The loss drops the Lady Hornets to 12-4-1 (10-2-1 NTL). The team turns around and faces Athens again, on the road, on Saturday morning.