LEXINGTON, Va.- A pair of goals in the game's opening 15 minutes spelled the difference, as Coastal Carolina picked up a 2-0 win over VMI in each team's Big South Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at Patchin Field. The win improves the Lady Chanticleers to 5-4-1 and 1-0 in the Big South, while the Keydets fall to 3-6-1 and 0-1 in the League.

Junior forward Blair Monroe (Little River, S.C./North Myrtle Beach) put the visitors on top just 92 seconds into the contest, as she converted a pass from senior forward Emma Humphries (Wellington, New Zealand/Samuel Marsen Collegiate), shooting past a charging VMI keeper from the top of the box. Humphries then collected a goal of her own in the game's 15th minute, as she found the back of the net from the right-side of the box with senior midfielder Ashleigh Gunning (Baton Rouge, La./Magnet) collecting the assist.

The Keydets applied much more pressure in the second half after being outshot by a 9-2 margin in the opening period. Among the opportunities for the Keydets was a penalty kick opportunity generated by junior Megan Strand (Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford), but senior forward Alexa Bernas (Mechanicsville, Va./Atlee) came up empty as Coastal freshman keeper Karen Pavlick preserved the shutout with a save on the kick in the 48th minute.

For the contest, Coastal held a 22-6 advantage in shots, while taking six corner kicks to VMI's three. Each team split goalkeepers in the contest, with Coastal freshmen Amy Haggard (Sylva, N.C./Smoky Mountain) and Pavlick combining for the shutout. For the Keydets, freshman Angela Redmond (Fairfax Station, Va./Woodson) allowed both goals while playing the first half in goal, making a pair of saves, while freshman Heidi Beemer (Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes) made four impressive saves while shutting out the Lady Chants in the second half.

The Keydets return to action on Tuesday afternoon, hosting Southern Virginia at 4 p.m. at Patchin Field.

HEAD COACH BRYAN WILLIAMS- “This was a game of two halves, or really three-quarters of a game where we played the type of soccer that we've shown we're capable of. Coastal came in here needing a good result, and came out firing from the opening. All year, our defense has shown tremendous improvement and the ability to handle fast-paced, attacking teams, but we weren't really up to the challenge in those first 15 minutes. After the second goal, we made some adjustments that handled their offensive attack, but it also limited our ability to get forward as much as we would have liked. The opportunities that we did have showed the intensity of our players today. In the second half, we stayed with the same setup, and at times we handled a good portion of the second half. We created the penalty kick, and it was unfortunate that we couldn't convert that to make the score as close as what I felt it should have been. We manufactured some good opportunities in the second half, but just couldn't convert them. We really need to find a way to score, that is the challenge that this team faces. Our defense has excelled, but we have not been able to score to take the pressure off of our defense.”