Avenging a 1-0 loss from a year ago, the women’s soccer team beat Mary Baldwin University 4-1 Friday at Penn-Roediger Field in the season and home opener.

“It sets us up for the rest of the season–just getting that win,” Head Soccer Coach Erin Saleeby said after the game. “We’ve got so many new faces; it’s just good to get the nerves out and have them understand that they can play at this level with the physicality and speed. It’s so important.”

If nerves were an issue, the team played it off well, especially defensively. It took almost eight minutes for Mary Baldwin to get it across the midfield line, as the team held the Fighting Squirrels in their own end for much of the first half.

Then at the 17:56 mark, Ashlynn Mitcham, junior, found the back of the net for the Panthers when she intercepted a Fighting Squirrel goal kick and put it past Mary Baldwin keeper Maddie Vinson for an unassisted goal to make the score 1-0.

Less than three minutes later, Bri Bitz, junior, converted a Kayla Fedison, junior, assist to make the score 2-0.

The play unfolded when Fedison uncorked a long ball toward the Mary Baldwin back line, where Bitz settled the ball, took a couple touches, juked two defenders, and notched another goal for the Panthers.

The ladies took the 2-0 score into halftime.

After the break, the Fighting Squirrels came out with more intensity, holding more possession than in the first half, and making some threats in the Panther end. But the Panther back line held strong, while the offense converted two more attempts into points.

At the 52:28 mark, Mitcham intercepted another pass from the defense, crossed it to Jamie Adams, junior, who tapped it past the keeper to make the score 3-0 Panthers.

Adams wasn’t quite finished, however.

At the 79:52 mark, Alondra Vera, freshman, split the Fighting Squirrel defense with a through ball that Adams fielded and put past the Mary Baldwin keeper on the far post.

The goal made the score 4-0 Panthers.

Mary Baldwin got one over the goal line with 7:16 remaining in the game to spoil the Panthers’ clean sheet on the evening.

After the contest, Saleeby said she was proud of the team.

“We outshot them and out played them last year,” Saleeby said, “but still lost. Today, the name of the game was ‘Finish Your Chances’, and we did that.”

For the game, Adams took six shots, had five on goal, and netted two goals. Mitcham took five shots, had four on frame, and recorded both a goal and an assist. Bitz took only one shot but made that count with a goal, and Vera took one shot on frame and recorded an assist.

Panther keeper Ashli Wuss, sophomore, recorded four saves in the victory.

The win puts the Panthers at 1-0.