Missouri State field hockey dropped a hard-fought decision to the 16th-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 3-0 at Plaster Field.
    The Bears were on the defensive all day as the Cardinals recorded 24 shots, 18 on goal. Goalkeeper Steph Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and the defense held the high-powered Louisville offense scoreless for the game’s first 31 minutes, but could not keep Kayla May from finding the back of the net. May took a rebound off Anderson’s shin guard and put it in to open the scoring. The teams went to half 1-0.
    Louisville scored two more goals after intermission. Tuli Lim scored unassisted in the 47th minute and Nikki Auker closed the scoring in the 66th minute.
    The Bears were able to manage only one shot on goal the entire game, when Melissa Lantz (Wildwood, Mo.) beat a Louisville defender but could not put the ball past goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby.
    Head coach Dawn Callahan said the Cardinals lived up to their ranking.
    “They move the ball fast,” said Callahan. “They held their zones well. They are quick. Every ball they are going hard for. They are a good team.”
    Despite the constant pressure, the defense held strong for most of the game.
    “At times we showed some brilliance,” said head coach Dawn Callahan. “Reainn (Stoute) and Steph played an outstanding game. Our corner defense played an outstanding defense.”
    Anderson finished the game with 15 saves, her highest single-game total this season.
   “Our defense really stepped it up today,” said Anderson. “I just try to think positively; the first half we only let in one. I got fired up on every save our defense made on the corners.”
    The Bears head north next weekend, as they face Northwestern and Saint Joseph (Pa.) in Evanston, Ill.