ST. LOUIS  – Missouri State women's soccer dropped a hard-fought road contest to Saint Louis University on Thursday night, falling 2-1 at Robert R. Hermann Stadium. Abby Hansen scored her third goal of the season on a 70th-minute penalty kick, but the Bears couldn't overcome a pair of second-half Billiken strikes.

Saint Louis (4-2) broke the scoreless deadlock in the 53rd minute when Julia Simon slotted a pass from Hope Kim. The Billikens doubled their lead in the 62nd as Kim capitalized on a loose ball in front of the net following a corner.

Hansen brought Missouri State back within one in the 70th, drawing a foul in the box and converting from the spot to make it 2-1.

Goalkeeper Ella Becker kept the Bears in the match with four saves, including a huge diving stop on an SLU penalty in the 50th minute. Missouri State generated nine total shots and two on goal, with late efforts from Julia Kristensen and Maddie Schneiderhahn narrowly missing the target.

"This was a hard-fought battle on the road against a top opponent, and I'm proud of the team's effort to nearly come back at the end," said head coach Kirk Nelson. "The team is showing resilience and growing every game. I'm really looking forward to being back home this weekend for our next matchup."

Up next, the Bears (2-4-1) return to Springfield on Sunday, Sept. 7, for a 1:00 p.m. matchup with Iowa at Allison South Stadium. Fans can enjoy Local Club and Camper Day, with free admission for all patrons.