ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. - Against a Hobart side which had outscored Bard 15-1 combined in three previous meetings, Bard head coach Andy McCabe tried to come up with something that might work on Friday afternoon.

His plan? Hold out several starters and defend in the first half, funnelling Hobart's attack down the middle of the field. Then put all the starters in to open the second half and push forward.

It almost worked.

Hobart's dangerous wing players were held in check, and Bard did enjoy a 10-minute span in the second half when there were some tense moments, but Hobart prevailed, 1-0, on a penalty kick by Marco Ronning (Stockholm, Sweden) in the 31st minute.

The Statesmen (6-3-1 overall, 1-1-0 Liberty League) had a clear edge in possession throughout the entire first half. It didn't produce anything too great, because Bard was clearly focused on defending, but a hand ball in the box and the PK conversion by Ronning made it 1-0, and it stayed that way at halftime. Shots at the break were 7-0 in favor of the guests.

In the second half, McCabe inserted Shaw McCabe, Brendan Byrne, David Mamukelashvili and Donovan Stewart into the lineup, and the game quickly changed. The Raptors produced two good scoring opportunities in that first 10 minutes but didn't cash in.

After the initial surprise, Hobart made the necessary adjustments and kept Bard from producing anything after the midway point of the second half. Shots were 6-3 in favor of Hobart in the last 45 minutes.

Daniel Gagne made six saves, including one point-blank shot in the final 10 minutes, for the Raptors (4-7-0, 0-2-0).

Tyler Serafine (Canandaigua, NY) made two saves for Hobart.

The Raptors get right back on the field Saturday afternoon when Rochester Institute of Technology visits. Kick off is at 2. Follow it live here if you can't make it.