WICHITA, Kan.— The Southwestern College women's soccer team saw its season come to an end Wednesday night, falling 3-1 to second-seeded Friends University in the KCAC quarterfinals at Adair-Austin Stadium.

The seventh-seeded Moundbuilders (5-8-4, 5-4-4) showed fight after a difficult opening half, where Friends scored all three of its goals in a 20-minute stretch. Southwestern regrouped in the second half and held the Falcons scoreless over the final 45 minutes, outshooting them 4-5 after the break and converting a late penalty kick.

Senior forward Natalie Belanger provided the highlight for the Builders, burying a penalty kick in the 85th minute to put Southwestern on the board. The goal capped a strong individual performance for Belanger, who recorded two of the team's three shots on goal in her 61 minutes of play.

Goalkeeper Hayden Clark kept the Builders within reach, finishing with seven saves, including six in the first half, as Friends peppered the goal with 16 first-half shots. Clark faced 21 total shots and turned away multiple close-range attempts in a busy night in net.

Defender Kaitlyn Walker and midfielder Maggie Bielefeld anchored the back line, each playing nearly the full 90 minutes. Walker also registered a late shot on goal as Southwestern pressed forward in the closing minutes.

Friends (13-3-3, 10-1-2) jumped out early on goals from Kieley Aranda in the 25th minute, Anahi Ibarra-Arevalo in the 35th, and Paige Putter in the 43rd. Aranda and Ibarra-Arevalo each tallied a goal and an assist, while goalkeeper Morgan Wilkinson made two saves to preserve the win.

Despite being outshot 21-4 overall, the Moundbuilders showed grit throughout the second half, limiting Friends to just five shots and earning their lone corner kick of the night after the break.

The result concludes a season of growth for Southwestern, which returned to the KCAC postseason and finished with five wins and four draws under head coach Harry Simpson.