The American University women's soccer team began Patriot League play Saturday afternoon in Lewisburg, Pa., where the Eagles came up on the short end of a 3-0 decision to host Bucknell.

American (3-9, 0-1 Patriot League) actually outshot Bucknell (3-10, 1-0 PL) in the match by a 14-10 margin, which included a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Despite the offensive opportunities, the Eagles were unable to get anything by Bucknell goalkeeper Sandita McDermott, who made five saves to earn the shutout.

The Bison took a 1-0 lead in the match on a 24th minute goal by Caitlin Holtz, which came off a corner kick. Bucknell took the one-goal advantage into halftime before extending its margin to 2-0 when Kelsey Johnson knocked home her first goal of the season in the 62nd minute off a free kick scramble. The Bison added their third goal with less than seven minutes remaining in the match off the foot of Kelliann Doherty to set the final margin at 3-0.

Despite being held off the scoreboard, American was active on the offensive end, led by a game-high four shots by Kendra Jones. Patricia Bailey and Carleigh Morba each registered three shots for the Eagles.

Arianna Efstathiou played the first 61-plus minutes in goal for AU, as she surrendered the first two scores. Lindsey Farthing replaced Efstathiou in net for the remainder of the match, and allowed the final Bucknell score.

"I thought we lost the game today because we did not defend set pieces well, which resulted in their first two goals," Head Coach Dave Bucciero said. "We did not come out strong enough in the first 25 minutes, and that put us in a hole. We played much better in the second half, but weren't able to overcome our mistakes and that cost us the game."

The Eagles will return home on Monday, October 4 to welcome non-conference foe Princeton to Reeves Field. Match time is set for 4 p.m. Click here to read a preview for Monday's match.

Like all AU home women's soccer matches, Monday's action against Princeton can be watched live on Eagles Vision TV, part of AUeagles.com. A year-long subscription to Eagles Vision TV, good for 365 days from the date of the purchase, is only $49.95. With the year-long pass, fans can watch any live broadcast, as well as any archived broadcast from the season anytime on-demand from their computer. Single-game subscriptions are also available for $5.95 per event, although games must be watched live.