BUENA VISTA, VA. In a hard fought match, the southern Virginia Women's Soccer team was unable to overcome a lone goal from the Shepherd University Rams and lost 1-0.

The goal for the Rams came in the 25th minute of the first half, and the Knights were forced to chase for the rest of the game. A standout performance by Goalkeeper Mariah Flake helped keep SVU in the game, and with a shot to win. Flake recorded her second penalty kick save of the season when she stopped a shot from a Shepherd player in the second half.

"It's fun to watch her make saves," said Head Coach Matt Grawrock. "She is a very solid keeper, and she has provided us with stability back there. We need that especially with our youth. I think she has a bright future with our program."

SVU was out shot by Shepherd 24-15, but maintained the same amount of shots-on-goal as the hosts. The Knights were playing their third match in 4 days, and the tired legs did affect the play, but the team put forth a strong effort. The visitors had several chances to get past the Ram defense. Spearheaded by Melanee Guymon's free kicks, and wonderful interplay between Taylor Osborn and Kendra Heim, the Knights ensured they would not go down without a fight.

"I'm disappointed we lost," said Grawrock. "Nobody likes to lose, and I think we had chances to tie and win the game. I am, however, very proud of the effort the girls put in today. We had a long week, and we needed a tremendous amount of work to be successful today. In the end we came up a little short. We'll learn from it, and improve for next week."

The Knights will be in action again Sept. 16 when they play at Eastern Mennonite University. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.