NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. –Laura Ortiz scored her career-high sixth goal of the season in the 68th minute and the Fairfield University women's soccer team could not find the equalizer as the Stags fell 1-0 against Niagara on the road.

Each half was close as each team had a similar amount of shots with Fairfield attempting five in the first half compared to four for Niagara. The Stags had the better of those nine opportunities with shots from Sydney Arestivo and Brenna Brown both requiring saves from the Niagara goalkeeper Shawnique Samuels while Megan DeFeo needed just one stop for the Stags during the first 45 minutes.

The Stags tried to set an offensive pace during the period, but were whistled for four offsides violations during the half, negating many chances.

Just like in the first half, both teams played evenly when it came to the shot department, but Niagara was able to out-shoot the Stags 6-4 during the second frame. The most vital of which started with a give-and-go as Eva Bachmann tapped the ball to Ortiz, who was able to split the defense and finish in the back of the net in a one-on-one chance.

Fairfield almost found the dramatic equalizer with less than three minutes remaining, but Elena Santos' header hit the post, which would turn out to be the last chance for the Stags.

The Stags were out-shot 10-9 in the contest but had a 3-1 advantage in corner kicks. DeFeo picked up three saves with Samuels stopping four.

Fairfield will return home for the next two matches, starting with a contest against league-leading Monmouth on Wednesday at 7pm.