Sept. 26, 2015

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EASTON, Pa. -- Army West Point's Katie Holder netted the golden goal with one second remaining in the first overtime period to send Lafayette women's soccer to a heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in its Patriot League home opener on Saturday evening at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium.

Running on to a long ball down the left side, Holder worked a move past junior defender Julia Wescott and into the box. The Black Knights' leading scorer settled and fired a perfectly struck shot into the far side past the outstretched arms of Lafayette sophomore keeper Kelly O'Brien for the deciding tally.

"It was a great goal. The strike was top notch," head coach Mick Statham said. "That being said, though, it's a tough way to lose. Any team that goes into overtime in the Patriot League and gets beat is tough, but we've got three games in eight days, so there's really no time to sulk. It's obviously tough because the players fought hard, but we've got to move forward."

O'Brien was excellent throughout the night, making five saves in just under 100 minutes of action. A sequence in the game's 30th minute showcased her skills between the pipes.

A long strike from Holder just outside the left edge of the box dipped toward the back left corner and O'Brien leaped to send it off the crossbar. The rebound, however, landed right at the foot of Jade Jamison with O'Brien scurrying back into position. Jamison's shot forced O'Brien into a diving save to her right before the ball was cleared free.

Lafayette had its best scoring chance in the 95th minute when the Leopards won a free kick from about 30 yards out. Senior Madison Murray stepped up and fired a speedy, dipping shot that just skimmed over the top of the crossbar and was caught by the top netting.

The game was evenly played throughout as Army's edge in shots was just one, 9-8. The Black Knights worked nine corners compared to three for the Leopards and Army keeper Jordan Cassalia made two saves on the night for her third win of the year.

"It was a razor-thin game that could have gone either way," Statham added. "It wasn't our night tonight, but I'm really proud of the players' efforts and it's a shame they weren't rewarded for that."

With the loss, the Leopards drop to 0-2 in conference action, with both defeats coming in extra time. Lafayette is 5-3 overall on the year and heads right back to the pitch on Wednesday, hosting Bucknell for a 7 p.m. contest.