HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. – The Centenary University women's soccer team returned to J.E. Reeves Jr. Field Saturday afternoon, falling to Cairn University, 3-0.
The Cyclones (0-2) generated four shots in the contest, while goalkeeper Naveah O'Keefe finished with seven saves in her second consecutive 90-minute performance to begin the season. Cairn applied pressure early, but O'Keefe kept the Highlanders off the board with three saves in the opening nine minutes.
Centenary generated its first scoring opportunity in the 18th minute when Ava Barry sent an attempt high. The Highlanders eventually broke through at the 22:12 mark when Ella Quince scored off an assist from Josey Smith to give Cairn a 1-0 advantage.
The Highlanders added to their lead just over three minutes later as Smith found the back of the net to make it a 2-0 contest.
Centenary continued looking for an answer before halftime. Elizabeth Fogarty recorded an attempt in the 25th minute before Nia Hebron put the Cyclones' first shot on goal in the 37th minute, forcing a save from Cairn goalkeeper Rhian Erspamer. O'Keefe added another stop in the 41st minute as the Cyclones entered halftime trailing 2-0.
Cairn extended its advantage early in the second half when Quince recorded her second goal of the afternoon at the 53:15 mark. The Cyclones nearly answered three minutes later. Fogarty generated Centenary's best scoring opportunity of the second half when her shot struck the right post in the 57th minute.
O'Keefe and the Centenary defense kept Cairn from adding to its lead over the remainder of the contest. The sophomore goalkeeper recorded three second-half saves, including stops in the 75th, 80th and 88th minutes.
Cairn finished with a 19-4 advantage in total shots and a 10-1 edge in shots on goal. The Highlanders also held a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks. Fogarty led the Centenary attack with two shots, while Barry and Hebron each recorded one attempt. Hebron accounted for the Cyclones' lone shot on goal.
O'Keefe played all 90 minutes between the pipes and finished with seven saves.
The Cyclones move to 0-2 on the season.
