EASTON, Mass. - The Saint Michael's College women's soccer team fell to regionally-ranked Stonehill College, 2-1, during Northeast-10 Conference action at Skyhawk Field on Wednesday. The Purple Knights drop to 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the league, while the Skyhawks stay unbeaten at 4-0 and 2-0. Stonehill is seventh in this week's National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) East Region poll.

Sophomore Michaela Horne (Southboro, Mass./Algonquin Regional) scored the lone goal for Saint Michael's - her team-leading fifth of the year - junior Cassie Chernicki (Hanson, Mass./Whitman-Hanson Regional) assisted, and senior goalkeeper Aubrey Ouellet (Bedford, N.H./Bedford) made one save in the loss.

Junior Meagan Elliott (Norton, Mass./Norton) and sophomore Lauren Kapatoes (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) registered the goals for Stonehill with assists from seniors Maddie Manning (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth) and Kate Wegener (Brockton, Mass./Brockton). Sophomore keeper Jamie Block (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) earned the win with four saves.

Saint Michael's, which had not surrendered a goal during its previous two games, fell into an early 1-0 deficit after Stonehill found a way past Ouellet at 9:56. Wegener sent the ball into an open area just out of reach of the Purple Knight defense and connected with Elliott, who buried her team-leading fourth goal of the season. The Purple and Gold tested Block with two shots in a 1:52 span, starting at 22:26, but the keeper came up with both stops.

Stonehill extended its lead with a header goal by Kapatoes at 51:40. After a throw in, Manning crossed the ball to Kapatoes, who then knocked in the score for the two-goal cushion. Saint Michael's responded with three shots over the next 11:44, but remained scoreless. The Purple Knights finally spoiled the shutout bid when Horne scored at 64:03. The marker came after senior Olivia Biron (Saint Albans, Vt./BFA-Saint Albans) made an endline pass toward the left post, where Chernicki fired a shot that Block tipped off the post and then the crossbar. After the ball bounced just outside the goal line, Horne laid out for a diving header. Saint Michael's was held shotless for the remainder of the game, while Stonehill countered with three shots, including a bid off the crossbar with 1:24 to go.

Saint Michael's resumes its road schedule with an NE-10 matchup at Assumption College at 5 p.m. on Saturday.