Once again, it was a tale of two halves for the University of Vermont women’s soccer team on Friday afternoon.

Trailing 2-0 to Colgate going into the break, the Lady Cats turned it on in the second half, dominating play and out-shooting the Raiders 8-2. However, the Centennial Field comeback fell short as Colgate hung on for the 2-1 victory. The loss drops Vermont to 1-8-0 and extends their losing streak to six games.

“We knew we had to step up the intensity after a sloppy first half,” said Vermont head coach Kwame Lloyd. “We talked about being positive in the second half and we played better as a result. We responded by pushing harder and were more aggressive after halftime.”

Colgate (2-6-0) jumped out to a 1-0 lead just seven minutes into the contest. After a Raider corner kick produced a wild scrum in front of junior goalkeeper Eliza Bradley’s net, Colgate sophomore Anna Baldwin secured a pinball deflection and eluded Bradley for her first strike of the season.

The Raiders extended the lead to 2-0 in the 28th minute when freshman Katheryne Lawson blasted a free kick from just inside midfield. Coming out to cut down the angle, Bradley misplayed the one-bounce cannon and the ball slipped past her fingertips into the back of the goal.

The Lady Cats turned it on in the second half, playing with spirited urgency and resolve. Vermont clawed back in the 78th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1. Splitting the Colgate defense, senior co-captain Kaitlin Francis found sophomore Sasha Morey who snuck it by the helpless Colgate keeper Rebecca Michlin.

“Our team was down 2-0 and it was a good way to boost our momentum and keep us going in the second half,” said Morey of her second strike of the season. “We should have put another one away but I think that it was a good way to end the game for us on a positive note.”

Noticing the twilight sun shining directly into the eyes of Michlin, Vermont desperately tried to take advantage and tie the game in the final minutes. Unfortunately, the 2-1 score held up.

“I think you had two teams that obviously [were] trying to turn the corner on their seasons and look for a win,” said Colgate head coach Kathy Brawn. “Vermont did an awesome job at the end there coming on strong. Another few minutes and it could have gone either way.”

Bradley, making her second start since returning from an injury, registered two saves for Vermont. The Lady Cats return to action Sept. 27 when they visit Rider. Vermont returns home to kick off their America East schedule against Hartford on Oct. 2.