LAKELAND, Fla. — The Ave Maria women's soccer team opened Sun Conference play Wednesday night but came up short against No. 24 Southeastern falling 4–0. The Gyrenes had a tough time getting any offensive momentum going, spending most of the match fending off the Fire attack.

Southeastern wasted little time putting pressure on the Gyrenes' defense, with 18 first-half shots. Southeastern broke through in the 18th minute when Ariadna Lozano scored her fourth goal of the season.

Just five minutes later, Olivia Hadad doubled the advantage, and Lozano struck again before halftime to send the Gyrenes into the break trailing 3–0.

Ave Maria regrouped to begin the second half, but Southeastern added to its lead in the 50th minute. Hadad netted her second goal of the match off a feed from Lozano, who finished with two goals and one assist on the evening.

Despite the scoreline, goalkeeper Emma Schweitzer turned in an impressive performance for the Gyrenes. The junior stopped 10 of the Fire's 14 shots on goal, keeping the match from slipping further out of reach. Ten saves is a season-high for Schweitzer, more than tripling her previous high mark for the year.

Offensively, the Gyrenes' best opportunities came from Ava Conforti, Catherine Dalton, and Veronica Rodriguez, who each recorded a shot, but the Gyrenes were unable to find the net against Southeastern keeper Sofia Diaz.

With the defeat, Ave Maria moves to 4-5-1 overall and begins 0-1 in conference play.

The Gyrenes will look to bounce back quickly as the Sun Conference schedule heats up in October. The women will be back in action at home against the St. Thomas Bobcats on Saturday, October 4^th. The Bobcats beat Florida Memorial Wednesday to get their first conference win of the season. Kickoff is slated for 6 p.m. and the match will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.