GAMBIER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's soccer team was bested by Kalamazoo College in the Owls' home opener, falling 2-1 despite a late offensive outburst.

Both offenses had early chances as Kenyon earned a corner in the third minute, and Kalamazoo took a pair of shots in the 10th minute, including a shot on goal saved by Kenyon's Leah Anderson. However, the Hornets kept the pressure on the Kenyon half of the pitch in the first half as the visitors took nine shots while the Owls did not get a shot off.

Despite the shot disadvantage, Anderson and the Owls defense maintained a clean slate for the first 44:59 of the game. However, the Hornets' Ellie Andrews stung the home team at the halftime buzzer. Kenyon defended a late Kalamazoo corner kick by heading the ball away from the box, but Andrews corralled the loose ball in the far left corner of the box before launching a right-footed shot into the far right corner of the goal to give the Hornets a 1-0 as time expired in the opening half.

The Owls came out in the second half and orchestrated an offensive push, leading to their first shot of the game in the 50th minute. Talulla Sheridan put a shot on goal at the 49:51 mark, but Kalamazoo's Lexi Nesbitt secured the save.

The Hornets responded with three shots from the 51st to 55th minutes, and each shot got progressively more dangerous. The offensive onslaught culminated with a shot by Anna Murphy that hit the post and bounced up into the air, staying in play and presenting a danger to the Owls. Kenyon avoided the threat as Anderson tracked the rebound and jumped on the loose ball.

One of Kenyon's best offensive attacks came in the 72nd minute. Julia Igoe received an outlet from Hailey Moss at midfield, and the two enacted a perfect give-and-go action as Moss got the ball back deep in the right corner in Kalamazoo territory. Moss sent a great cross into the middle of the box to an open Lara O'Callaghan, but the ball soared just wide of O'Callaghan's outstretched foot as the Owl duo could not connect.

The missed connection proved costly as Kalamazoo doubled its advantage to 2-0 in the 81st minute after Cassidy Short shot a long, high-arching ball into the top right corner of the net from a few yards outside the box.

Despite the increased deficit, the home team came up with an immediate answer. Sheridan collected the ball in the left corner on the ensuing kickoff and picked up an assist after a pass that sailed across the face of the net found the head of Moss, who gave Kenyon its first goal just seconds after Kalamazoo's score.

The 2-1 deficit is as close as the Owls would pull, despite keeping the pressure on the Hornets. Kenyon took three shots over the final seven minutes of play and earned a corner kick in the 90th minute, but the home team could not break through to tie it in the 2-1 loss.

The Owls were more aggressive in the second half, matching the Hornets with five shots and putting three of their attempts on goal. For the game, Kalamazoo held a 14-5 advantage in shots and a 4-3 edge in shots on goal, while each team took three corners.

Up next, the Owls have a quick turnaround as they remain home in Gambier, Ohio. Kenyon (0-2-1) hosts Concordia University Wisconsin (3-0-1) on Sunday, Sep. 11, at 1 p.m. on Mavec Field.