Three goals in 10 first-half minutes were enough to take the game away from us despite an impressive showing at Newhaven.
The East Sussex outfit started matchday 19 five points ahead of us in seventh place, but increased that gap with a clinical display at Fort Road.
Charlotte Markham, Lucy Collinson and Chloe Evans all netted before half-time. Despite Tara Barratt's well-taken fifth of the season, the damage had been done in the first 45 minutes.