RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Bard's magical postseason ride has come to an end.

After winning its last three games of the regular season, including it's first-ever win over Vassar, and knocking off the No. 2 seed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) quarterfinals, the Raptors lost to third-seeded Rutgers-Newark, 1-0, in a semifinal match on Saturday.

Rutgers-Newark (15-8-1) will play top-seeded NYU for the ECAC Div. III Metro/Upstate title on Sunday at noon.

Bard (8-9-2) dominated the first half, especially at midfield, and outshot the Scarlet Raiders, 9-1. New Jersey Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Sara Corson (Metuchen, NJ), was held without a shot. It appeared that it would just be a matter of time before Bard scored.

But the Raptors never broke through, producing only a couple of good chances in the first half, the best probably being Dylan McDonald's free kick from 20 yards that was slightly high and wide in the 24th minute.

The Scarlet Raiders carried play in the second half, holding Bard without a shot. And they broke through in the 68th minute, when senior Cristina Estremera (East Brunswick, NJ) blasted a direct kick from 23 yards that got over the wall and under the crossbar for a 1-0 lead. It was one of only two shots on goal the Scarlet Raiders had all day.

But the Raptors were bottled up in the second half, playing most of the last 30 minutes at midfield on in their defensive end, trying to get out.

Bard will look back on the late run in the season with fondness. The Raptors were 5-8-1 with three games left, including a Liberty League contest against a team they'd never beaten in 18 tries. They beat Utica, 2-0, then Mount Holyoke, 1-0, and snapped the curse by beating Vassar, 2-1. By reaching .500, Bard had qualified for the ECACs, and drew the No. 7 seed in the eight-team field.

On Wednesday, Bard stunned No. 2 seed Kean in a penalty kick shootout, extending the season for six Bard seniors. Alas, Abbey Labrecque, Gina Lewis, Isabel Keddy-Hector, Ryan O'Connell, Mady Calhoun and Margot Kalach Hanono have played their last games.

The women's soccer program has been elevated by their work on and off the field, and they'll be missed.

ECAC Div. III Metro/Upstate Championships
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, Nov. 11
No. 1 NYU 3, No. 8 Lehman 0
No. 3 Rutgers-Newark 4, No. 6 Ramapo 3
No. 7 Bard 1, No. 2 Kean 1 (Bard advances on PKs, 4-2)
No. 5 Mount Saint Mary 2, No. 4 Stockton 1

Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 14
Gaelic Park, Riverdale, N.Y.
No. 1 NYU 2, No. 5 Mount Saint Mary 0
No. 3 Rutgers-Newark 1, No. 7 Bard 0

Championship
Sunday, Nov. 15
Gaelic Park, Riverdale, N.Y.
No. 1 NYU (14-5-1) vs. No. 3 Rutgers-Newark (15-8-1), noon