GAMBIER, Ohio -- The season started off just as planned for the Kenyon College field hockey team. Thursday evening, the Ladies used a strong defensive showing to defeat the visiting Transylvania University Pioneers by a 3-0 score.

The Kenyon defense did not allow a registered shot off the stick of any Pioneer player, a feat the Ladies also accomplished last season against Ohio Wesleyan.

Offensively, five different players recorded points for the Ladies. Junior Weezie Foster started the scoring early in the first half, which was followed in the second half by goals from Lynne Cullen and Zoe Chrissos. The goals for both Cullen, a sophomore, and Chrissos, a junior, were the first of their collegiate careers. Katelyn Hutchinson and Shannon Hart each recorded assists.

Junior goalkeeper Sarah Speroff earned the shutout, one year removed from a record-setting 2015 season in which she recorded 13 shutouts and a school record 0.59 goals against average.

The Ladies used a wide rotation of players in new positions during the season opener. The defensive back line saw changes from the 2015 alignment with Paige Beyer moving over to sweeper and the combination of Sammy Russell and Sarah Bauman manning the outside. Last year's sweeper Kelsey Trulik was positioned in the midfield.

Hutchinson and Foster also shifted positions from the forward line in 2015 to the midfield in 2016. Chrissos, Cullen and Sam Grunder provided the largest contributions from the forward spots, with subs Hannah Paterakis and Abbey Roswell also seeing time. In total, the Ladies registered 11 shots, five of which were on cage. The Ladies converted one of their eight penalty corner opportunities.

Kenyon will be back in action Saturday against Centre College in the Great Lakes Classic hosted by Wittenberg University. The Ladies defeated the Colonels last season 1-0 at McBride Field.