EASTON, Pa. - Lafayette had a handful of opportunities but was unable to find the net as they dropped their Patriot League home opener 2-0 in a Sunday afternoon contest at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium.

The Crusaders struck midway through the first half thanks to an unfortunate bounce off of a Lafayette defender. Holy Cross senior forward Ang Seslija sent a free kick from 30+ yards out into a pack of players deep in the box. The shot deflected off of the head of the Leopards' Lauren Johnson and beyond the reach of goalkeeper Maggie Pohl.

Lafayette's best opportunity came in the 61st minute when senior midfielder Katie Brannigan was able to settle a ball in the box and flick it over Holy Cross keeper Sophie Lettieri. The shot hit the crossbar near the left corner and fell down onto the pitch where it was cleared out of danger. 

By this juncture of the game, the Crusaders had increased the lead to 2-0 on the fourth goal of the season by Carly Flahive.  Despite an increased presence in the offensive end over the final 30 minutes, Lafayette never seriously threatened again.

"I felt we didn't make alot of great decisions with the ball when we needed to," said head coach Mick Statham. "Our attacking just wasn't convincing enough. We played alot of stuff right down the center of the pitch when perhaps there were better choices to be made."

The issues also sometimes extended not only decision making but also positioning on the field which Statham felt became somewhat predictable. When the formation and the decision-making aligned the execution was off.

"Sometimes when players were making the right choice they weren't getting the ball where it needed to be," Statham added. "When it got crowded we just kept putting the ball into the crowd and when you do that you are hoping for things to happen instead of making them happen."

Brannigan finished with three of Lafayette's five shots and senior forward Alex Stanford also had a shot on target early in the first half. Sophomore keeper Maggie Pohl facd six shots and was credited with four saves.

The Leopards are entering a tough stretch with four of their next five games on the road. Next up is a trip to West Point to face the Cadets (5-1-5, 1-0-1) on Wednesday. The next home contest on Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium will be another Patriot League battle on October 6 against Colgate.