AURORA, Ill. - The University of Dubuque women's hockey team traveled to Aurora, Illinois Friday afternoon to face Aurora University. In the second-to-last regular season game of the year, the Spartans brought the energy but fell 4-3 to Aurora.

The first period was a slow start for the Spartans as they fell behind 2-0. The second period was when UD came to life, scoring a goal at 10:12 from Madilynn Schiile, assisted by Natalie Meeder and Bree Hallson. Aurora would strike back and make it 3-1 after the Spartans had made it a one-score game. Despite this, UD fought to find another goal, scoring a second goal with Sophia Hoover finding the net, coming from Meeder and Hallson. With the game at 3-2, Meeder had a great chance that was unlucky to hit the top of the pipe and rattle out and away from the goal.

The third period saw Aurora take a 4-2 lead, but never giving up, the Spartans attacked once again. This time, it was Ashleigh Eldridge who scored on the power play to make the match 4-3 with nine minutes left. Eldridge's goal was assisted by Alexandria Simmons and Zoe Cupples. At the end of the full time, the Spartans fell in a narrow 4-3 loss to Aurora.

The Spartans were led by goal scorers Madilynn Schiile, Sophia Hoover and Ashleigh Eldridge. Bree Hallson and Natalie Meeder each had two assists. Zoe Cupples and Alexandria Simmons each had one assist. Eldridge led the team in won faceoffs with 14.

Up Next
The Spartans will play their final regular-season game against Aurora University tomorrow, Saturday, February 14. The game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at the Fox Valley Ice Arena in Aurora, Ill.