The Bard women's soccer team battled, but were shut out by the William Smith Herons on Saturday afternoon.
An early goal came in the 2nd minute of the game, as the Herons were able to settle the ball down into the box and slip it into the netting. The next ten minutes were without a shot by either side, as the Raptors defended well.
McKenna Reeves scooped up her first save on a shot from the right side of the box at the 12:06 mark. Bard had an offensive possession about three minutes later, but William Smith prevented any shots and went on the counterattack. As the Herons gained a head of steam, Reeves made two consecutive point-blank saves to keep the Raptors within one. High-level awareness from Reeves and the Bard defense forced William Smith into a scoreless drought that lasted over 45 minutes.
However, the seal broke open at the 47:19 mark and again at the 51:23 mark, as the Herons made it 3-0. With 37:12 to play, the Raptors received a corner.
Alexandria Loner had a shot on a header from straightaway, but it had too much on it and went over the net. In the 70th minute,
Carina Cooke intercepted a lazy Heron pass in the backfield and then shot left while sprinting right, nearly scoring on the angled attempt. William Smith had its fourth goal in the final seven minutes of action.
Reeves recorded a career-high 13 saves, allowing Bard to stay close for much of the match. Loner and
Natalie Wing each played all 90 minutes of the contest.
Next up for the Raptors is a mid-week road match against Union on Wednesday at 7 p.m.