PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The Lafayette women's soccer team battled St. Joseph's on Thursday, dropping a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Sweeney Field.

Neither team was able to get into an offensive rhythm in the first half. Lafayette had three shots in the first 45 minutes, but none of the chances on net for the Leopards posed a threat to St. Joseph's goalkeeper Katie Cappelletti. The teams headed to the halftime break knotted at 0-0.

The match continued to be a battle for field position for the first half hour of the second half. The Hawks' first legitimate scoring chance came with 14 minutes remaining in the match. Nicole Everard broke free and had an opportunity at point-blank range, but it was sent away by Lafayette sophomore goalkeeper Catherine Apker. Just two minutes later, another great scoring opportunity arose for the Hawks, this time off of a shot by Aaniyah Street, but it was again blocked by another acrobatic save by Apker, keeping the match scoreless.

St. Joseph's broke the deadlock in the 87^th minute, when Natalie Nevins triggered a set piece that found Ashley Rhodes, who scored the first goal of the match and gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead with three minutes left to play.

Lafayette was not able to equalize the score, and St. Joseph's held on for a 1-0 victory.

The Leopards and the Hawks both finished the evening with 12 shots. Lafayette had five shots on goal, while St. Joseph's had seven. The Leopards had eight corners and the Hawks had six. The Maroon and White were led by senior Michaela Salvati, who had three shots, with one on goal. Four other Leopards recorded two shots each.

Apker played the full 90 minutes and recorded five saves. Her St. Joseph's counterpart, Cappelletti, also played the full 90 minutes and had five saves.

The Leopards are next in action when they travel to Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday for a match beginning at 7 p.m.