TEANECK, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson women's soccer team closed out the 2018 regular season with a 1-0 loss to Sacred Heart at University Stadium on Senior Day.
 
The Knights (6-9-3, 4-3-1 NEC) had already wrapped up its spot in the upcoming Northeast Conference Tournament before the match. The loss, however, dropped the Knights into fourth place in the standings, setting them up for a matchup with tournament host Central Connecticut State on Friday at a time to be determined.
 
"We were very flat today," head coach Eric Teepe said after the game. "We didn't play with a lot of passion, and we played disconnected. We know we're better than this, but we picked a bad time of year to be flat. I think the last two games haven't been good, and we have to address that. That's what we have to work on this week."
 
Before the match, the team held a pregame ceremony honoring the careers of seniors Elma Kolenovic and Julia Shea, who played their final home games as Knights.
 
The Knights started the game pushing the tempo offensively, taking the first four shots of the match. Junior Stasi Torchia lined the only one of the four tries on goal, with the Sacred Heart keeper making the save.
 
The Pioneers (5-13, 3-5 NEC) scored their goal in the 17th minute of the opening half on a cross from the far side that was poked past Knights goalkeeper Amanda Fitzgerald.
 
FDU attempted three more tries at goal in the first half, with freshman Paula Ruess sending in a shot that required another save by the Pioneer goalkeeper in the 36th minute.
 
The Knights continued to work toward equalizing the match, with sophomore Sofia Albertsson supplying pressure early in the second half with a shot that missed just left of hitting the net.
 
Sophomore Andrea Garcia also had a clean look at goal in the 52nd minute, but the Knights then were held without another chance for over 20 minutes.
 
With time winding down in the match, FDU tried four more good looks at goal in the final 13 minutes but were unsuccessful in finding the equalizer. Freshman Noam Kedem fired a hard left-footed shot in the 84th minute, and sophomore Viktorija Miseljic followed two minutes later with another close try that the Pioneer goalkeeper saved.
 
Garcia's final try in the 86th minute was also saved, and the Pioneers held on for the win.
 
Fitzgerald saved four shots for the Knights, all coming in the second half, to increase her season total to 77, her third straight season with at least 75 saves.
 
The Knights face CCSU on Friday in one of two NEC semifinal matchups, with second-seed Saint Francis U playing third-seed Mount St. Mary's in the other semifinal. Game times and order are to be determined.