ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Macalester women's soccer team dropped their final non-conference competition of the season on Wednesday night, falling to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 2-1 at Macalester Stadium.
 
The Scots are now 2-11-1 on the season while the Blugolds improve to 11-5. With the loss, Macalester moves to 1-2 in their all-time series history with UW-Eau Claire.
 
The Scots got their offense going early in the game with both Abby Ecker (Portland, Ore./St. Mary's Academy) and Alice Bieda (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North) taking shots on goal within the first seven minutes. Bieda's shot especially tested the Blugold goalie, as she had to make a diving save to her right to keep it from the back of the net.
 
After these shots, UW-Eau Claire took over offensively, taking the next eight shots in the half. It was Courtney Slowinski who got the Blugolds on the board, taking advantage of a rebound in the 17^th minute. Macalester goalie Kate Lawhead (Battle Ground, Wash./Prairie) was able to stop the first shot of the play, but Slowinski found the loose ball and put it in the back right of the net to put UW-Eau Claire up 1-0.
 
Macalester found a way to answer early in the second half, as Bieda netted her seventh goal this season, with a left-footed shot that soared into the top left corner of the goal. First year Lily Lorenzen (San Francisco, Calif./Urban School of San Francisco) added her first assist of her collegiate career on the play, finding Bieda open on a throw in.
 
The game remained tied for the next half an hour of play until Emily Sullivan capitalized when a goal kick headed her direction, firing the ball over the top of Lawhead to give the Blugolds a 2-1 lead with less than six minutes left to play. Macalester was unable to retaliate, making Sullivan's goal the game-winner.
 
The Macalester offense was efficient in their shots throughout the game, aiming all five on net. The Blugolds, however, held a 15-5 edge in shots on the night and had a 9-5 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Lawhead tallied seven saves in the contest and moves to 2-4 on the season.
 
The Scots will return to MIAC play this weekend, as they host nationally-ranked St. Thomas on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Macalester then faces Saint Mary's at home on October 30, before closing out the season at Gustavus on November 2.