FERRUM, Virginia -- Ferrum College opened its 2023 women's soccer season with a non-conference win tonight at home over Mary Baldwin University, winning 4-1 at Penn-Roediger Field.

RECORDS
Ferrum (1-0)
Mary Bladwin (0-1)

THE BASICS
Immediately following a disallowed Ferrum goal, Ashlynn Mitcham got things started when she intercepted a goal kick, made a few touched and struck the ball to the far right side of Mary Baldwin goalkeeper Maddie Vinson for an unassisted goal at the 17:56 mark.

Bri Bitz then took a long pass over the top from Kayla Fedison, made a run past two defenders and and beat Vinson to the right side at 21:15 to spot the Panthers a 2-0 lead at the break.

Jamie Adams had back-to-back goals for the Panthers in the second half for a commanding 4-0 lead. Mitcham intercepted a pass from a defender and played an early low cross to Adams, who poked it into the left side of the net at 52:28 for her first goal. Adams then took a beautiful through ball from Alondra Vera, sending the ball into the far post to the keeper's right side

Rachel Gatten broke up the shutout for the Fighting Squirrels when scored an unassisted goal with less than eight minutes remaining in the game. Ferrum goalkeeper Ashli Wuss made the most of her first career start, making four saves to pick up the win.

KEY STATS
Ferrum: Adams 2 goals; Mitcham 1 goal, 1 asst; GK Wuss (W, 1-0) 4 saves
Mary Baldwin: Gatten 1 goal; GK Vinson (L, 0-1) 8 saves

BEHIND THE WHISTLE
"It's always a great feeling when you can start the season off with a win. It's even better when you can score a few really great goals. I'm incredibly proud of how hard we played all night long and I'm excited to see what the future holds for this team!" --Head Coach Erin Saleeby

NEXT UP
Coach Erin Saleeby's team will be back in action Sunday, September 3, at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, North Carolina. The non-conference doubleheader will start with a 2:00 p.m. women's game, which will be followed immediately by the Ferrum-Pfeiffer men's clash.