Langhorne, PA – Cairn women's soccer faced off against Immaculata University on Saturday afternoon and fell 3-1 in their first CSAC game of the season. The Highlanders defeated the Mighty Macs in 2014 with a 2-0 score but were unable to repeat the effort this year, despite launching 29 shots at the goal.
 
The Mighty Macs' keeper, Elizabeth McBride, performed brilliantly in the game, stopping 15 of the Highlanders 16 shots on goal. Cairn had multiple breakaways in the game but McBride was up to the task and kept the net clear. Her counterpart, Mackenzie Paugh, made eight saves in the game.
 
The Highlanders struck first, but that wasn't until the 44th minute of the game. Meghan Wilson notched her seventh goal of the season after a cross in from Payton Emerick. Cairn then took the advantage and the momentum into halftime looking like the better team.
 
"I was impressed with the way we were passing the ball today," said head coach Laura Behnke after the game. "The passing lanes were open and we were hitting them and getting opportunities."
 
Cairn continued that type of play through the first 12 minutes of the second half but the Mighty Macs started putting more pressure on the Highlanders' defense. Carly Mirarchi scored the first Mighty Macs' goal in the 58th minute with a shot from outside the box that went over the head of Paugh.
 
Immaculata quickly put the ball back into Cairn's net just over a minute later with a goal by Elizabeth Dudas, assisted by Rachel Lamb. Cairn looked to be slowing down their play slightly after those two quick goals and gave up the third goal in the 69th minute of the game.
 
The Highlanders were led by Courtney Novak with 10 shots in the game, followed by Wilson's eight. Alicia Geistdorfer had three shots in the game, including one that ricocheted off of the crossbar in the second half.
 
With the loss, Cairn dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the conference, while Immaculata picked up their first win of the season at 1-4-1 and improves to 1-0 in the CSAC. The Highlanders will return to action on Monday when they travel to Bryn Mawr College for a 4 p.m. game.