That doesn’t mean the Trojans aren’t enjoying playing spoiler for everybody else.

Kaylyn Carnes scored in the 38th minute and Braya Beaver turned in a seven-save clean sheet in goal as Southwestern blanked Fredonia 1-0 at Charles A. Lawson Field on Tuesday night.

“Going through the first time, a lot of the matches were tight and we found a way to kind of be on the down side,” Southwestern head coach Derek Houser said. “We’re a young team and I think that growth has been huge. It was our Senior Night tonight and those seniors have really been excellent role models. Their teammates came through to make sure they had the best Senior Night possible.”

The Trojans improved to 7-8 overall and 5-6 in the league with their final regular-season game coming Friday night at Dunkirk.

Fredonia goalkeeper Sarah Davis comes out to make a save on Southwestern’s Ellie Pearson in Tuesday’s CCAA Division 1 West match at Charles A. Lawson field. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

“They knew that outside of the Frewsburg matches and the first Falconer match, we’ve been in matches. At times we’ve looked very good and just needed those big goals,” Houser said. “They’ve never wavered. We’ve been down to 13 players for some matches, but they’ve just kept working hard and never given up.”

The loss sends the Hillbillies to 9-5 overall and 7-4 in the league. They’ll still have a chance to clinch a share of the league title Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. when they host Allegany-Limestone (8-5-2, 7-3-1) at SUNY Fredonia.

“It’s a 1-0 game. It’s a hard-fought battle that could go either way. In a game like this, you get a bounce and make a play, you’re right back even,” Fredonia head coach Dan Tomaszewski said. “Hats off to Southwestern. They did enough to seal off the victory tonight.”

Carnes gave Southwestern the lead with 2:26 to play in the first half when she took a pass from sophomore Ellie Pearson and beat Fredonia keeper Sarah Davis to the low, left corner of the goal for her team-leading fifth goal of the season. For Pearson, it was her second assist.

“It’s by committee. We don’t have that one person. They all have the ability to do things for each other,” Houser said. ” … That’s the kind of team that we knew we’d have to be and that’s the kind of team they’ve transformed into as we’ve turned into October.”

The Hillbillies responded well after halftime and carried play for much of the opening 20 minutes of the period.

Their best opportunity came in the 42nd minute when a header off a corner kick looked destined for the net just inside the post, but was stopped on the goal line by Trojans defender Lily Cobb and eventually cleared the safety.

“In the first half, they did a good job of clogging up the middle of the field and making it difficult for us. … We made some adjustments and it helps us to play much better,” Tomaszewski said. “At the end of the day, you have to put the ball in the back of the net.”

Annie Gondek, Fredonia’s leading scorer with 12 goals on the season, was held in check by the Southwestern defense for most of the night.

“She had her opportunities. Sophia Gullo had some opportunities. … They would go on a nice run and then we would go on a run,” Tomaszewski said. “Their girl made a nice shot. That’s just how it went tonight.”

Gondek’s looked like she might get clear for a one-on-one opportunity with Beaver in the 46th minute, but the Trojans’ Abbey Galati recovered well to shield Gondek from the goal.

“She’s obviously somebody you have to account for. We knew they’d play physical and fast, and try to send her,” Houser said of Gondek. “Kayla Lynn, shutout; Karryne Mims, shutout; and now Gondek, shutout. That’s a credit to our defense and Braya and everybody buying into a defensive principle and playing it to the fullest the entire match.”

Southwestern began to regain control of the match in the final 20 minutes, but the Hillbillies had one more “Grade-A” chance in the 64th minute, but Ella Koopman’s drive went just high over the crossbar.

With 9:50 remaining, the Hillbillies sent one of their better crosses of the night through the 18-yard box, but Beaver dove on the bouncing ball before Fredonia’s player on the far wing was able to get a foot on it.

“She’s gotten really good about knowing when to get involved into plays,” Houser said of Beaver. “Our defense has really worked hard on trying to deny shots. … You have to focus on shooting lanes over the player.”

The Trojans earned multiple corner kicks down the stretch, keeping the ball on the Hillbillies’ defensive end of the pitch while the final minutes ticked away.

Now Fredonia will look to regroup before taking on the Gators on Thursday with a share of the league title up for grabs.

“We try and take one game at a time and focus on that one. …. We were going to get through tonight and then focus on our final game against Allegany-Limestone,” Tomaszewski said. “We’re not done by any means. We’re a good team. Come sectional playoff time, we’re hopefully going to get hot and go on a run of our own.”