WORCESTER, Mass. - Lafayette women's soccer battled Holy Cross on Saturday, dropping a hard-fought 1-0 decision at Linda Johnson Smith Soccer Stadium.

Just 18 minutes into the match, Holy Cross found the back of the net when Charlotte Hancher connected with Karenna Beckstein on the doorstep of the goal. Beckstein sent a shot to the low left corner of the goal, which gave the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.

The match continued to be a battle for field position for the remaining 27 minutes of the half, as Holy Cross took a 1-0 lead into the halftime break.

The Leopards' best opportunity to score in the second half came in the 48^th minute. Freshman Camryn Fitch ripped a shot that split two defenders, but Holy Cross goalkeeper Julia Walsh made an athletic save that kept Lafayette off the board.

Lafayette had another good opportunity to score in the 85^th minute when a long ball found senior Michaela Salvati who sent a header on cage, but Walsh was able to stop the shot.

Holy Cross continued to play stellar defense for the remainder of the second half, securing the 1-0 decision.

The Leopards finished the evening with 18 shots and Holy Cross had 13. Lafayette had seven shots on goal, while the Crusaders had eight. The Leopards had eight corners and the Crusaders had six. The Maroon and White were led by Salvati and junior April McDonald, who both had four shots, with one on goal. Three other Leopards recorded multiple shots each.

Sophomore Catherine Apker played the full 90 minutes and recorded seven saves. Her Holy Cross counterpart, Walsh, also played the full 90 minutes and had seven saves.

The Leopards are next in action when they travel to rival Lehigh on Wednesday at 7 p.m.