NEWBERRY - The Newberry College women's soccer team found itself up against a determined USC Aiken squad looking to win its season debut, but Newberry scored the only goal it needed and shut out the Pacers for a 1-0 win in the scarlet and gray's home opener.

“It was a tough battle and I'm proud of us for fighting for the win,” Newberry head coach Karrie Miller said. “We were able to capitalize on an opportunity, but we'll work on capitalizing more often. That's part of making progress throughout the season, which I think we saw some of today. We'll continue to work to get better.”

The loss for USC Aiken (0-1-0) marks the fifth straight defeat against Newberry (2-0-0), a streak that dates back to 2002. Newberry earns its first home opening win since 2006, when that team also went 2-0-0 to start the season.

Meagan Heney (Ajax, Ontario, Canada) earned the game winning goal with the only goal of the match, scoring in the 52nd minute. Michaela Peach (Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England) crossed a ball into the penalty area that met Heney, who chipped it past USC Aiken goalkeeper Nicole Westphal to give Newberry the 1-0 lead.

Emily Rhoades earned her first shutout in 2009 and second win of the season. Rhoades made one save against USC Aiken, a shot from Amanda Steffan 19 minutes into the match. The Pacers finished with four shots, while Newberry tallied 17.

Newberry was able to keep USC Aiken's opportunities to a minimum, allowing no corner kicks and winning the fouls battle, 16-6.

The Pacers came out strong, with Alie Brady firing a shot 14 minutes into the match that hit the crossbar. Brady led the team with two shots. Laura Mottel (North Augusta, S.C.) and Megan Douglas (Bradford, West Yorkshire, England) led Newberry with three shots each.

Newberry sustained its attack throughout the first half, finally finding the net with Heney's goal early in the second half. The teams battled back and forth for the rest of the match, with Newberry's leading scorer Amberly Fowler (Taylors, S.C.) coming close to netting an insurance goal with a shot that glanced off the crossbar four minutes after Heney's goal.

The Newberry back line stayed strong and held USC Aiken shotless in the final 15 minutes. Newberry's Cassie Smith (Lyman, S.C.) picked up the only yellow card of the match after a hard challenge in the 43rd minute of the second half.

Newberry remains at home for their third match of the season, hosting Erskine College on Friday, September 4, at 4 p.m. The squad will have a chance to make history, as no Newberry women's team has ever started a season with a 3-0-0 record.