SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Plattsburgh State women's soccer team played in a hard-fought matchup with Skidmore on Wednesday night, falling 1-0 in a close defeat to the Thoroughbreds. Skidmore scored right out of halftime, in the 46th minute, and that was all they would need for the victory.
 
Lauren Haley (LaGrange, N.Y./Arlington) was tagged with the loss for Plattsburgh, making five saves over 90 minutes as her record moves to 2-2-1 on the year. Offensively, the Cardinals put multiple shots on goal, with Avery Durgan (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Beekmantown) putting three shots on the keeper to pace the offense. Nora Fitzgerald (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) and Ella Santomassimo (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Arlington) each had two shots on goal as well for the Cardinal offense.
 
Plattsburgh falls to 2-2-1 with the loss and will get the weekend off as they prep for the start of conference play next week, beginning with Potsdam on the road on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 4 p.m. Skidmore stays undefeated with the win, moving to 3-0-2, also clinching their fourth shutout of the year. They next play on Saturday, Sept. 16 when they host Mount Saint Mary College (N.Y.) at 4 p.m.
 
The Cardinal offense got off to a roaring start Wednesday night, as the Cards were able to put up three shots within the first 11 minutes, with Duragn and Fitzgerald each testing the keeper early. Skidmore put up some shots of their own over the next few minutes, but it was Plattsburgh who showed as the more aggressive team in the first half, putting seven shots on the Thoroughbred keeper from the eight-minute mark to just after the start of the 32^nd minute. At the same time, the defense did well to limit the offensive attack for Skidmore as they attempted just six shots total and only earned a single corner kick.
 
In the second half, the story was flipped completely, as Skidmore played aggressor, earning themselves a corner kick in the opening minute. Off that corner, Izzy Sullivan put in the game's lone goal as she found the back of the net off a bouncing ball from the corner. 
 
From there, the Thoroughbred offense seemed to get a boost, as they were able to possess more and put some shots up, ultimately outshooting Plattsburgh 17-15. The Cardinals, however, were still getting quality looks, as they put three more shots on goal than Skidmore over the entirety of the game. In the second half, this proved much tougher, as the opposing defense found their rhythm, halting the Plattsburgh attack over the entire second half. 
 
Santomassimo had a good look to tie the game with a shot in the box in the 57^th minute, but the ball was saved to preserve the Skidmore lead. Later Durgan was able to get a good look from the left wing, but also couldn't find a way around the Thoroughbred keeper, as Skidmore stayed in the lead. Sophia Hatziyianis (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) took the last attempt to give Plattsburgh the tie in the 77^th minute, but her header attempt went wide right. 
 
For Skidmore, their keepers split the game, while Chloe Wolgast got the win, playing in the second half and making two saves. In the first half, Avery Rogers made seven saves in goal to keep Plattsburgh off the scoreboard.