The American University women's soccer team fell 2-0 to the 16th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers on Sunday afternoon in Charlottesville, Va.

Despite being outshot 10-1 in the first half, American (4-4) was able to hold Virginia (5-1-2) off the scoreboard in the first 45 minutes. The Cavaliers struck quickly in the second half, however, with Sinead Farrelly's goal in the 48th minute. Virginia added insurance late in the match with an 89th minute goal by Meghan Lencczyk off an assist by Lindsey Miller.

The Eagles generated more scoring chances in the second half, firing five shots. Freshman Kendra Jones came off the bench for American and recorded two shots on goal.

American's back four, consisting of Friederike Engel, Olivia Heditsian, Erin Koch and Kelly McLaughlin, played well in limiting the scoring chances for Virginia's dangerous offensive attack. The Eagles' defense held Virginia to only two corner kicks in the match. Goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou recorded six saves for the Eagles.

"I am proud of every player on our team for a fantastic game against a highly-ranked opponent," commented American Head Coach David Bucciero. "Our team played with a lot of guts today and battled for 90 minutes with everything we had. I was very happy to see we did this for two halves and were able to move the ball better in the second half in generating our best opportunities. This team has a strong will and spirit and is capable of winning a lot of games. We must learn from this experience and continue to bring the kind of effort that we saw today into every match."

The Eagles will return to action on Tuesday, September 22 with a 4 p.m. showdown against crosstown rival George Washington. The match will be played at George Washington's Mount Vernon Field.