The American University women's soccer team came up on the short end of a 1-0 decision to Fairfield on Saturday afternoon in the first match of the D.C. Invitational, which is being held at Georgetown's North Kehoe Field.

After playing scoreless soccer for 70-plus minutes, the difference in the match came off the head of Fairfield's Casey Frobey, who slipped a shot past AU goalkeeper Arianna Efstathiou. The play was setup off a cross from Lauren Reilly.

American (0-5) generated scoring opportunities, especially in the second half, where they outshot Fairfield (3-0) by a 6-5 margin. The Eagles also had three corner kicks in the second 45 minutes compared to two for the Stags.

For the match, Fairfield held a slim 9-8 advantage in shots, and both teams fired four on goal. Fairfield earned seven corner kicks compared to six for AU.

Michelle Montilio led the Eagles with two shots, both of which were on goal, while Patricia Bailey also had two shots. Jasmine Mohandesi and Samantha Trotta each fired a shot on frame.

Efstathiou recorded three saves between the pipes for American.

“This was another difficult loss but the positives are how we responded in the second half once we gave up the goal,” commented Head Coach Dave Bucciero. “We generated more chances offensively [than in previous matches] but we need to focus better in order to be on the other side of a 1-0 game.”

The Eagles will conclude play in the D.C. Invitational on Monday, September 6 against George Mason. Kick time from Georgetown is set for 2:30 p.m.