BALTIMORE, Md. – The University of Hartford women's soccer team dropped a 2-1 road decision to the UMBC Retrievers in the regular season finale on Thursday night. Hartford scored first in the contest with junior Chanel Johnson scoring her team-leading ninth goal of the season with seven minutes remaining in the game.

Hartford (10-5-3, 5-3 America East) will now await their opponent in the America East Championship. Based on Thursday night's results the Hawks will finish in third or fourth in the league standings, hosting an America East quarterfinal match on Thursday, October 31 at 6 p.m. at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium.

The Hawks would be the first to put the pressure on with Johnson testing UMBC keeper Lauren Kadet in the 13th minute with a shot from inside the box. Hawks keeper Jessica Jurg was put to the test 90 seconds later when UMBC's Jessy Brown attempted a header shot.

Elise Galipo provided the next threat for Hartford midway through the opening half. Her shot with just under 15 minutes remaining before the break required Kadet to make her second save of the game. UMBC sandwiched that shot on goal with three shots of their own, one that was blocked, one that sailed high over the net and the third that went wide right.

Hartford put two other shots on the board in the opening half, one from Stephanie Santos and one from Morgan Berry both of which were off the mark. Jurg finished the first 45 minutes with just the one save in the 14th minute.

UMBC came out of the locker room pressuring the Hawks defense, taking three shots in the first eight minutes, one of which forcing Jurg to make her third save of the contest. That shot came from Lilly Rydon. Hartford's first shot of the half came from about 24 yards out off the foot of Morgan Berry, but missed the target high by about two feet.

Arielle Aikens provided the Hawks next threat with 29 minutes remaining in regulation. After receiving a forward pass in the box, Aikens turned and fired a shot from 15 yards out that Kadet collapsed on for her third save of the night.

Johnson looked to strike with just over 17 minutes left in the second half when she stole the ball away from a defender about 45 yards from the end line. After dribbling forward and towards the center of the field, Johnson fired her second shot of the night from 24 yards out that forced Kadet to make a diving stop to her left.

After Jurg stopped a series of two shots from the Retrievers, Hartford marched down the field and took a 1-0 lead thanks to Johnson's goal, the fifth straight game the midfielder has scored in. Her shot, which came off a feed from Galipo went from right to left finding the lower corner inside the opposite post.

UMBC would tie the score four minutes later working off their fourth corner kick of the night. The restart sailed across the box to the opposite corner of the box where headed in her team's equalizer just inside the near post.

The Retrievers struck again with 60 seconds remaining in the game with Amanda Dailey scoring the game-winner off an assist from Lully Rydon. Dailey's short shot found the opposite side of the net for the go ahead goal.