CLAREMONT, Calif. – In the lone opening-round match featuring a pair of one loss teams, the fourth-ranked Puget Sound Loggers couldn’t get past the tough 19th-ranked Hardin-Simmons Cowgirls, falling 1-0 in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship on Saturday in Claremont, Calif.

In the first half, the Cowgirls (19-1-0) kept the ball in the defensive end of Puget Sound (18-2-0), earning seven corner kicks compared to none for the Loggers. Despite the offensive pressure, the Loggers kept the ball out of the net, thanks to five first-half saves by senior keeper Kallie Wolfer (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline).

In the second half, the Loggers picked it up offensively, outshooting the Cowgirls by a total of 7-3 in the final 45 minutes but it was a pair of shots by HSU that advanced them to the round of 32. Following a Wolfer save on a shot by Sarah Stansell, HSU’s Amy Kuykendall fired a shot in from about five yards out in the 72nd minute to give Hardin-Simmons a 1-0 lead.

Puget Sound continued to put pressure on the Cowgirls but the shutdown HSU defense just didn’t give the Loggers an open shot as they collected the 1-0 win.

Wolfer finished the game with six saves on the afternoon, allowing the one goal. HSU’s Christi Carr made three saves to collect the postseason shutout. The Loggers outshoot the Cowgirls, 11-9, but Hardin-Simmons held an 8-5 advantage on corner kicks.

The Loggers end their season with a record of 18-2-0, tied for the second best record in school history. Hardin-Simmons advances to play host Claremont-M-S in a second round game on Sunday.