READING, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson field hockey team saw its 2016 season come to a close with a 2-1 loss at No. 18 Alvernia in the ECAC Division III Field Hockey Championship quarterfinals.

The loss in W&J's third postseason appearance in program history, drops the Presidents to 15-5 on the season, which matches the program record for victories. Alvernia, the top seed in the tournament, improves to 20-2, with both losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Messiah.

It was the Crusaders that opened the scoring in the match as Margaret Wentzel converted on a penalty stroke 18:03 into play. The Presidents did not need long, however, to answer back, as Rachel Buyan (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) scored her team-leading 16th goal of the season 3:11 later off an assist by Amanda Steffey (Irwin, Pa./Penn-Trafford). The goal was Buyan's 21st career score, pushing her into 10th place on the W&J career goals list, passing teammate Lauren Brown (Novi, Mich./Novi), who finished with 20 goals in four years.

The eventual game-winner was scored by Alvernia 8:08 into the second half when Andrea Wysocki notched her 17th of the season after Malorie McCoy made a pass to her positioned behind W&J goalie Karlie Baran (Jackson, N.J./Jackson Liberty).

In total, the hosts posted a 16-3 advantage on shots, including 11-1 on goal. Baran matched her career high with eight saves and finished the season with a goals-against average of 0.93 and 15-5 record. Kelsey Bowman (Springfield, Va./Robert E. Lee) also recorded a defensive save, her eighth of the season.

Steffey finishes her standout career first in career assists (28) and second in goals (47) and points (122).