CLINTON, S.C. – A crushing case of "right place, right time" 10 minutes into the second period turned out to be the sole difference in Thursday night's 2023 opener for the Presbyterian College women's soccer team, dropping a well-fought 1-0 decision to rival Furman at Martin Stadium.

On a humid evening that saw PC take the role of aggressor through most of the first 45 minutes, the battle of keepers Kelly Hall and Addison Corn was ultimately won by the latter thanks to the aforementioned 55:22 connection from the visitors.

Head coach Brian Purcell – who began his 35^th season in charge of the program on Thursday – guided a determined attack who outgunned the Paladins in the shots department 10-8. Unfortunately for the home side, none of those tries came to fruition in the first bout of the school's 17^th Division I slate.

PC will go back and forth between hosting and visiting duties for the first six meetings in the fall, now setting their sites on Kennesaw State this Sunday in a 6:00 PM start.
 
FINAL SCORE: Furman, 1 – Presbyterian, 0
RECORDS: Presbyterian (0-1) – Furman (1-0)
LOCATION: Edens Field at Martin Stadium (Clinton, S.C.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Gaining a 6-4 edge in shot tries over the first period, the Blue Hose nearly struck before the contest had even reached its five-minute point on a high archer from sophomore Hannah Austin that was snagged down by Corn. Put together, the Paladins' goalie and Hall added up for five saves and a host of other smart-minded defensive triggers.

- Sloan Spees, Ella Williams, and newbie Emma Brown all took turns at the net before the first-half buzzer roared, although a stalemate after 45 minutes left the in-state foes thirsty to break the tie.

- A pair of PC corner kicks within the second stanza's opening moments caused some doubt for the Paladins as to whether they could sustain the steadfast movement from the Blue Hose's offensive sets. However, the tone of the contest shifted with 35 minutes to go once Furman cashed in on an unorthodox goal that turned into the game-winner.

- Valentina Mosquera booted a deflected cross past Hall's reach to grant the visitors the one-score victory, holding on from there behind a more concerted defensive effort with the lead in their back pocket.

- Spees (a 2022 all-conference representative) accounted for Presbyterian's last shot of the night that sailed a touch too high of the mark, rendering Furman's heretical strike as the lone cash-in from the rivalry affair.

- Five of Purcell's squad made their official college debuts on Thursday, including Lina-Marie Müller and Lyla Chadd who did so in the starting lineup, while junior midfielder Sarah Dieffenderfer completed her long-awaited return to the field after missing the entirety of last fall due to injury.
 
UP NEXT
- A trip to Kennesaw awaits the Blue Hose at the tail end of the weekend for an encounter with the Owls, hoping to avenge a 2-1 defeat at Martin Stadium 12 months ago in what was a frenetic second-half pace.

- KSU dueled with ETSU on Thursday evening to the tune of a scoreless tie, leaving both upcoming opponents in search of their first check in the win column 72 hours from now.

- Opening touch in Georgia is scheduled for 6:00 PM in the first of two matchups on PC's radar versus an ASUN member.