BRYN MAWR, Pa. - The Bryn Mawr soccer team put up yet another solid defensive effort earlier Wednesday afternoon against a Centennial Conference opponent. After holding a potent McDaniel offense to just two goals last Saturday, the Owls went out and put up another first-half shutout today against the Bears of Ursinus College. However, the visitors managed to scratch across a goal midway through the second half, and Bryn Mawr was unable to find an equalizer late.

Bryn Mawr (2-7, 0-2 CC) used great defensive play and covering from the back line to keep the Bears off the scoreboard in the first frame, and also got great goalkeeping from senior Aviva Kosansky to help maintain the clean sheet. Just 45 seconds into the game, Kosansky had to make a nice save on a shot by the Bears' Erin Farrell. That was Ursinus' (8-1, 0-3 CC) best chance through most of the first half, and about midway through, it was Bryn Mawr's turn to try and start some offense. In the 24th minute, Madeleine Mark ripped a shot from outside the box that went just wide of the Bears goal. A few minutes later, the Owls earned a corner kick, but were unable to get on the other end of Haidyn Weight's service. Nina Bertolami sent in another corner kick in the 31st minute, but that too was cleared away by the Bears. With no other major chances of note, the teams went to the half scoreless, with Ursinus having outshot the Owls by a 9-2 margin.

In the second half, the visitors continued to control most of the possession, but Bryn Mawr was able to hang on and recover to keep the Bears at bay. However, Ursinus finally broke through ten minutes into the half on what started as a relatively harmless play. The Bears controlled the ball along the left side of the offensive third, but the Owls had plenty of defenders in the area and were well-positioned to stop the attack. However, Ursinus' Kendall Couch found a square pass across the top of the penalty box to a wide open Katie Bell. She managed to rocket a one-timer back across the run of play and into the far netting to give the Bears a 1-0 lead.

Bryn Mawr did their best to come up with a counter-attack to that opening goal, and as the minutes waned in the game, the Owls found their best chances. With 13 minutes left to play, Katherine Nickols got down to the endline on the left side and sent in a very dangerous cross. The ball made it all the way to the penalty spot, and Mark managed to get on the other end of it. However, she didn't have a chance to take an extra touch, and her quick shot went just wide to the left. A few minutes later, Nickols got what would be Bryn Mawr's last chance of the game. The junior sent a nice shot on frame, but Courtney Sullivan was there for the Bears to make the save and preserve the shutout.

The Owls will look to get back in the win column this weekend when they return to Applebee Field. Bryn Mawr will host Franklin & Marshall on Saturday at noon for a big Centennial Conference tilt. The Owls traveled to Lancaster last year and knocked off the Diplomats in a thrilling 1-0 game. This year Franklin & Marshall will surely be looking for revenge. Meanwhile, the Owls will want to pick up the win themselves as they celebrate Senior Day on Saturday. The contest is set to kick off at 12:00 PM.