Syracuse, N.Y. – The Le Moyne women's soccer team fell to the Merrimack College Warriors on Thursday at Ted Grant Field in Northeast Conference action by a score of 6-2.

The Dolphins scored first in the 23^rd minute when sophomore defender Jasmina Barhoumi (Worms, Germany/Nelly-Sachs-IGS/D'Youville) put away a penalty kick that was won by junior forward Autumn Edwards (Greece, N.Y./Hilton/Monroe).

The Warriors tied the game at 1-1 in the 42^nd minute, then they outscored the Dolphins 5-1 in the second half.

Le Moyne hit the back of the net for the second time on Thursday in the 75^th minute when Autumn Edwards assisted on Sierra Edwards' team-leading third goal of the campaign.

Graduate goalkeeper Allison Moreau (Sauquoit, N.Y./Sauquoit Valley) tallied a season-best 13 saves for the Dolphins, just one save shy of her career-high.

"Outside of giving up that late goal in the first half, we were very proud of our team executing the game plan well," said Le Moyne head coach Jaro Zawislan. "In the first half we were able to finish our attacking sequences better, that allowed us to transition to defense, stay compact, stay together as a group on the defensive side of the ball. In the second half, we allowed the game to become much more wide open, which was to the advantage of Merrimack.

"We knew that Merrimack has a lot of pace and is very good at transitioning to attack, so the goal was to stay organized defensively, stay compact and minimize the space behind our back four. The shots that were taken on our goal [during the first half], a majority of them were from longer distance, and for a goalkeeper of Allison's caliber they were more routine saves. Getting the first goal of the game was very important. We felt that we had a very good argument for another penalty shot, another handball in the box, but that's what comes with gaining a little bit of momentum and pressing a little bit higher and executing in attack… "(Not finishing our attacking sequences in a positive way during the second half) resulted in very good goal-scoring opportunities for Merrimack's players and credit to them, they definitely took their chances well, some very good clinical finishing," Zawislan added.

With just over 23 minutes remaining in the first half, Barhoumi stepped up to a loose ball near midfield and drove it up the left wing into the path of Autumn Edwards. Edwards won possession for Le Moyne at the edge of the 18-yard box, then carried the ball towards the endline before hitting a left-footed cross that ricocheted off the hand of her defender. The referee awarded the Dolphins a penalty kick, and Barhoumi placed her PK attempt into the bottom left corner of the net to give Le Moyne a 1-0 lead.

The goal was Barhoumi's second of the season, as the sophomore defender previously converted a penalty kick during the team's 1-1 draw against Robert Morris at Ted Grant Field on September 8.

In the 38^th minute, sophomore midfielder Alaina Carro (Holland Patent, N.Y./Holland Patent/Wheeling) received a pass in the middle of the field and played a through ball into the Merrimack penalty area for Sierra Edwards, but Merrimack senior goalkeeper Lily Morgan came off her line and dove on the ball just before Edwards could get a touch on it.

The Warriors found the equalizing goal just before halftime when freshman forward Sophia Keogh sent a cross into the box from the right wing for freshman forward Isabella Keogh, who thumped a header into the right side of the net.

Keogh scored her second goal of the match less than three minutes into the second half when graduate forward Molly Murnane sent a cross on the ground from the left wing to the edge of the six-yard box where Keogh used her first touch to redirect the ball into the upper right corner of the net to give the Warriors a 2-1 lead.

Following a Merrimack corner kick from the right flag in the 51^st minute, the ball was knocked into the left side of the Le Moyne penalty area for junior midfielder Emma Rogorzenski, who stepped up to the ball and drilled a right-footed shot towards the upper right corner of the goal. Moreau quickly shifted to her left, flew in the air and made an impressive diving save to keep Le Moyne's deficit at one goal.

The Warriors extended their lead to 3-1 in the 67^th minute when Murnane chased down a long pass on the right wing, dribbled into Le Moyne's 18-yard box and sent a pass on the ground for junior midfielder Jillian Golden who placed a shot into the upper left corner of the goal with her first touch off her left foot.

Five minutes later, sophomore midfielder Maria Sevastos drove a header into the right side of the Le Moyne goal off a corner kick taken by freshman forward Kyla Sustad to make it 4-1 in favor of Merrimack.

Le Moyne answered back less than two minutes later when freshman forward Sofia Sanzo (Niskayuna, N.Y./Colonie) knocked the ball out wide to Sierra Edwards, who dribbled diagonally into the middle of Le Moyne's attacking third from the left wing and squeezed between two defenders before sending the ball through the right side of the box and towards the endline for her sister Autumn.

Autumn Edwards chased down the ball and crossed it on the ground inside the six-yard box at the near post where Sierra smashed it into the upper right corner of the goal to trim Le Moyne's deficit to 4-2. The assist was Edwards' first as a Dolphin.

"The second goal that we scored to make it 4-2, definitely closed the gap there and put us within the range to still try to get something out of the game," said Zawislan. "The sequence leading to the goal, the service and the finish was at a high level. (The goal) was something to build on. There's still a lot of positives to build on despite the result. We have a quick turnaround, we have to focus on the next conference game at Saint Francis on Sunday."

In the 76^th minute, Merrimack sophomore forward Adrianna Marinello got the ball on the left wing, dribbled into the Le Moyne penalty area and ripped a right-footed shot that found the back of the net to once again give the visitors a three-goal lead.

The Warriors scored their final goal of the game in the final minute when a pass from Caleigh Christensen put Marinello on a breakaway towards goal and Marinello placed her shot into the bottom left corner of the net.

Le Moyne's next two conference matches will be played away from home. The Dolphins will play at Saint Francis U on Sunday before traveling to take on the league leaders Central Connecticut State on October 15.