WALTHAM, Mass. – The Millersville offense was stymied in a 1–0 loss to the Bentley Falcons on Sunday afternoon, dropping the Marauders to 1–1 on the season.
 
The low-event contest only saw four total shots on goal between both teams, and the only tally coming in the opening three minutes of the game. The Marauders controlled the majority of possession and had numerous opportunities to get on the board, including five penalty corners in the fourth quarter. 
 
In the early stages of the fourth quarter, Millersville had three penalty corners, but the Falcons stood tall defensively and didn't allow a shot on goal. Bri Harsh and Kristin Strijdom each had shots off the corners, but the Falcons blocked them and finally neutralized the situation after the third corner. The Marauders last quality opportunity came with three minutes left in regulation when they had two corners, but Strijdom had another shot blocked, and a foul gave Bentley possession after the second corner.
 
"Some days I think it's a silly game," head coach Shelly Behrens said. "It's the only game I know you can dominate statistically and not win. So I think there were some great lessons in this weekend for us overall, coming out 1–1. I'm really happy with where we are. But I think again, it's just not just finishing on goal, but being more professional in our finishing skills, positionally, if that makes sense, whether striker, midfield, or defender. But I'm really proud of the kids for fighting today. We gave it a lot, and I really think we can build off this today. So I'm looking forward to that."
 
Gianna Cugino had a pair of scoring chances as well, nearly tying it at the end of the first quarter with a shot off a corner that forced Bentley goalkeeper Mia Trottie to make a sprawling save on the ground. The second chance came after a drive by Qhayiya Nogoduka was blocked and a follow up from Codi Bollinger was wide, and Cugino had the last crack at a goal before Bentley regained possession, but Trottie shut her down.
 
The Falcons only had two penalty corners the whole game, but they made the most of one early in the first. After the entry and a deflected shot attempt, the ball found Katie Thies through a sea of players who was able to dunk it in for the game's lone goal. The Marauders didn't let up much of anything else defensively the rest of the way, as Bentley only got off two more shot attempts the rest of the game, neither being on target.
 
"I loved how we finished the match, some great fight in us, got to see some kids do some good things in some positions," Behrens said. "So in general, I thought some great thoughts there with how we played in the third and the fourth quarter especially. I think we're still a good team. Bentley found a way to win, so credit to them. But we dominated, but just didn't find a way to finishing, so that's just something we can learn from."
 
The Marauders return to Millersville for their home opener and will look to bounce back against the Molloy University Lions at 2 p.m., Sept. 10.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Marauders outshot the Hawks 7–4 and did not allow a shot on goal after the first quarter.
• Millersville had eight penalty corners to Bentleys' two, with both of Bentley's occurring in the first quarter, and five of the Millersville's happening in the fourth quarter.
• Cugino and Strijdom were the only Marauders to register multi-shot games, with Nogoduka, Harsh, and Bollinger recording the other shots.

 
GAME NOTES

• The loss is the first defeat in series history with Bentley, as the Marauders now stand 5–1 all-time against the Falcons. The Marauders have outscored the Falcons 16–4 through six games.
• Millersville was only shutout twice last season (East Stroudsburg (10/19) and Kutztown (10/26)).
• The loss is the earliest first loss in a season since the 2016 season when the Marauders fell to Stonehill in their second game of the year. 

 
POSTGAME REACTION FROM SHELLY BEHRENS

• On the start to the game: "I think one of the things that we have the luxury of is that we're here. I think it's maybe not always a slow start today, some of the players didn't feel it was a slow start, as much as there was a synergy, a connectivity, that just wasn't as sharp that's been there. So, we found a way to kick into that. And so for that, that's something we're very aware of. Playing on different turfs and different heats, New England has been hot, but that we're fine. For me, we can't always win every game, but we can learn. And I really liked today. We'll use what happened today, and we'll learn more than if we had won. And that is I'm appreciative as a coach, that I'm looking forward to building out."
• How the team locked down following the goal: "In the first half, I really thought we put some people in the game and did great. And that's important to me that we've given people some minutes so that they keep learning and growing. That was important. But I may have helped motivate them with a mind shift with some of my comments at the halftime going into the third quarter. And I think everyone was like, 'Yeah, we needed that.' But they're kids, and I think they recognized it, and sometimes they need help getting there. And that's what we do as coaches, I thought Kaeleigh and I really prepared them. I think we're preparing; I think we're good team. I think we ran into a good team this weekend, two good teams, and we're just going to get better. So as far as how we played defensively, we did change a few things for sustaining some attack, which I thought paid off very well. I was very pleased with that. And I think again, it comes down to our mindset and our mentality, and how we're finishing. Finishing could be on passing or initiating the corner. We had some unforced errors in our corners. We have to learn from that and be better."
• Plans for the week off between games: "I think this was a great chance to get together. It's been a crazy trip, sometimes those are the best memories. But I've been here before, where we have an opening weekend taking a hit. And one of the things that you do in athletics, and you do as coaches is we keep preparing. It doesn't change, our plan doesn't change, who we are doesn't change, or where we're going. It's just about us getting better than we were yesterday. And that's where I know the kids will respond. They responded today and I was really happy for their fights. I thought they had great fight. So I can't ask for anything more and we'll just have to finish and get the result. That's where we are. That's not easy, but that's easy for me as their coach to help them learn and get better."