BALTIMORE - The Lafayette Women's Soccer team scored first, but ultimately saw their four-game unbeaten streak snapped in a 2-1 loss to Loyola Maryland at the Ridley Athletic Complex.

Junior midfielder Sophie Saldivar put the Leopards in front just 6:51 into the contest when her shot from 25 yards away went over the outstretched hands of Greyhounds keeper Paige Sim. It was the fifth goal of the season for the Pasadena, Calif. native, tying her for the team lead with Krista Kissell.

The hosts answered with not one but two goals, in a 2-1/2 minute span early in the first half. First Loyola senior Hannah Hoefs, the leading scorer in the Patriot League, took the ball off the foot of a Lafayette defender and blasted it past Lafayette keeper Maggie Pohl for her seventh goal of the season at 15:01.

The Greyhounds Kayleigh Gallagher netted her first goal of the season at the 17:24 mark, beating Pohl low following a cross from the left side for a 2-1 advantage.

The Leopards, who had six first half shots and four on goal, had a couple of first half opportunities to find the equalizer. First Krista Kissell had a deep run down the right side midway through the first half that she nearly bent into the left side of the net. A corner kick by Mason Worthington with 1:42 left before halftime proved dangerous but ultimately was cleared away by the Loyola defense.

The Greyhounds (6-6-2, 3-1-2) came out in the second half and applied the majority of the pressure in an attempt to pad their advantage.  The hosts recorded six of the first seven shots in the opening moments and it was primarily the efforts of freshman goalkeeper Natalie Neumann (three saves) that kept the deficit at one.

Lafayette (6-5-3, 2-2-2) made a final push over the last 15 minutes of the contest. Sims quelled a good run by the visitors when she smothered Katie Butler's effort and the Loyola defense blocked a pair of shot attempts by Saldivar and Worthington.

The Leopards, who entered the match in a third place tie with Loyola in the Patriot League standings, slip down to a bubble position in the tightly-packed league hierarchy with three games remaining. Lafayette will continue their push for one of the six spots in the Patriot League postseason on Wednesday when they host Army West Point under the lights at Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium.