WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Catholic University field hockey team fell to Bridgewater, 1-0, in a hard-fought battle at home on Wednesday evening. The Cardinals now sit at an even 2-2 on the young season while the Eagles improved to 3-1.

Kiley Parker scored the lone goal in the contest to put the Eagles ahead for good.  After earning a penalty corner five minutes into the third quarter, Bridgewater found Carynn Klingler at the top of the arc. She gathered and fired a straight pass to the left post. Parker caught the Cardinals with their heads turned and had an open look at the back of the cage. 

Besides allowing the Eagles to convert off one penalty corner set, the Cardinals disrupted eight others in the contest. The defensive back line of Emma Shallow, Mickey Bond, and Oli Bond intercepted multiple dangerous passes and erased many scoring opportunities for the Bridgewater. 

Shallow prevented the Eagles from extending their lead with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter with a huge defensive save. Goalkeeper Abigail Kearney step up to stop the ball, but it dribbled past her left pad towards the cage. Shallow swooped in just in time to send the ball away. This marks the senior's second defensive save of the season and third of her career. Kearney ended with three saves on the day, all of which came in the third quarter. 

Despite the final score, Catholic held the advantage in shots (9-7) and played Bridgewater even in shots on goal (4-4). Its best scoring opportunities came with five minutes left in the contest. The Cardinals got off three shots and were awarded two penalty corners in the final 1:14, but could not complete the comeback. 

The Cardinals are back on the road for their next contest on Saturday, September 14. The non-conference matchup against Washington and Lee is scheduled for 2 p.m.