Sports: NAIA number one overwhelms Pirates

The Lady Pirates fell to the Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson via a 4-1 margin at AT&T Field on Oct. 15. 

The Blue Raiders entered the match ranked #1 in NAIA competition with a record of 10-1, while the Pirates overall record was 7-4-3.

The game got off to a slow start as neither team managed a shot during the first 10 minutes. With 35 minutes left in first half the first goal was scored by Lindsey Wilson forward Caitlin Burke off a pass from Rikke Botcher. 

Ten minutes later the Blue Raiders scored again on a goal by Satsuki Kato.  The Lady Pirates tried to answer back with their best shot of the half when Erin Holt received an overhead pass from her teammate, but Holt was denied.

With 9:08 seconds remaining in the first half, Armstrong's Kayley Ralton was injured during an attempted steal. This was a major blow to the Lady Pirates as Ralton, a defensive midfielder, had played in 14 consecutive games. Her injury was later diagnosed as an ankle sprain, and she did not return to the game. 

In the second half the Pirates looked to turn things around, with a strong effort put forth by Kristin Burton. Burton scored her 15th goal of the season off a pass by Daviana Garcia. 

The non-conference loss does not affect the Lady Pirates' playoff hopes.