WOOSTER, Ohio -- The Kenyon College women's soccer team started its North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) slate with a matchup against a tough team in The College of Wooster. The visiting Owls hung tough against the Fighting Scots, but the home team prevailed with a 1-0 win.

Kenyon fell to 1-7-0 overall after dropping its first conference contest, while Wooster improved to 8-1-2 with the NCAC win. Statistically, the Fighting Scots surpassed the Owls with a 22-4 advantage in shots, but Kenyon's defense did well to limit the damage to just one. Even with Wooster's whopping 22 shots, the Owls held the home team to just six shots on goal, 27 percent of the total attempts. On the other side, Kenyon kept half of its shots on target with two of four going on goal.

One of those shots on goal was the game's first shot, and it nearly put Kenyon ahead just five minutes into the game. Skylar Helms hurled the ball in on a throw-in, and Emily Copeland corralled the toss. As the defense closed in around Copeland, the first-year made a nice pass back to her classmate Zoe Lipp, who launched a shot from just outside of the right corner of the box. The ball sailed towards the top-middle of the goal, but Wooster keeper Amanda Flory leaped up to punch the ball away and secure an early save.

Kenyon's next shot did not come until the 43rd minute, and the score stood at 1-0 in favor of the Fighting Scots at that point. In the 30th minute, Wooster's Hallie Krzys crossed the ball in front of Kenyon's goal, where defender Brooke Heis and keeper Ariel Kite converged on the ball. Unfortunately for the Owls, Wooster's Alyssa Lubba had squeezed into the crowd, getting into position enough to tap the ball into the net for the game-winning goal.

Kite saved the other five attempts she had a shot at, and the messy play that she was in position for was the only blemish on her ledger. Kenyon's other shot on goal came from Copeland in the 59th minute, when the forward found some space but could not get it past Flory.

After the road trip, the Owls have a pair of home games on deck. Up next, Kenyon will welcome Denison University to Mavec Field on Friday for an NCAC matchup at 3:30 p.m. in Gambier.