GAMBIER, Ohio - Persistent attack paid off for the Kenyon College women's soccer team in its North Coast Athletic Conference opener. Facing off against Wittenberg University on Mavec Field, the Ladies converted solid defense and incisive passing into a sound 3-0 defeat of the Tigers on Saturday.

The Ladies (3-4-1) opened the game with aggressive runs at the Wittenberg (1-3-2) goal. Two Kenyon attacks ended early in offside calls, but the Ladies broke through in the 18th minute when Kenyon senior Campbell Fee teed up a long shot from the outside right of the Wittenberg box. The ball curled across the goal before taking a deflection off Wittenberg keeper Hannah Wilson into the top left corner of the net, notching the early 1-0 lead for the Ladies.

Outside of Fee's goal, neither team found many opportunities at goal in the first half. By halftime, the Ladies had taken just four shots, with only one--Fee's point--on target. Wittenberg managed five shots in the first half, two of those on goal. Kenyon goalkeeper Jillian Countey made two crucial saves to keep the Ladies in the lead and, along with Kenyon's back line, stifled several Wittenberg attempts to even the score in the anxious final minutes of the half.

Wittenberg opened the second half with a salvo, squeezing off four shots in the first eight minutes, but the Kenyon defense and Countey weathered the storm. On the other end of the field, the Ladies capitalized on key opportunities. At the 53-minute mark, the Ladies stacked the Wittenberg box for their first corner kick of the game. Caroline McNeer took the kick and claimed an assist as Alyssa Sugar tapped the ball over the Wittenberg goal line for her first score of the season and the 2-0 Kenyon lead.

Just five minutes later, Kenyon senior Emma Klug received a pass in prime position in front of the Wittenberg frame. Earlier in the half, Klug had notched two shots on-goal, but Wilson had saved both. The third time was perhaps the charm for Klug. With her third shot of the half, she spun around and struck gold, socking the ball into the back of the Wittenberg net to give Kenyon the comfortable 3-0 advantage.

The Tigers attempted to chip away at that lead in the final few minutes, but to no avail. Countey held onto the shutout, her third in a row.

Overall, the teams met with nearly equal firepower. Wittenberg launched 13 shots to Kenyon's 11, and each put the ball on-goal four times. Kenyon's defense frustrated the Wittenberg attack at every turn, smothering all eight of the Tigers' corner kicks.

With an early conference win under their belts, the Ladies will look to continue winning at home when Franklin College (3-3-0) comes to Mavec Field on September 26. That match is scheduled to kickoff at 2 p.m.