CONWAY, Ark. -- The Southwestern University women's lacrosse team tackled their first game of the season on the road, winning 16-7 against the Hendrix College Warriors.

Head Coach Kaitlyn Hafdell said of her first game coaching for the Pirates, "I could not be more ecstatic for the girls and this win. Today I witnessed what this team is capable of and I can't wait to continue into the season."

In the first half of the game, Emma Pertuit took only seconds into the game to score not only the first unassisted goal for the Pirates, but also the first goal in her collegiate career. Hendrix was eager to answer back as Alison Watanabe scored two back to back goals, following with Hannah Burroughs to score the third goal making the game 3-1 in the first five minutes of the half.

But the Pirates found their rhythm and scored six goals against the Warriors while keeping the Hendrix offense at bay. The Warriors were able to break the scoreless streak with Burroughs scoring a goal. However, Johnee Wolter would answer back with a goal as well as two more goals by Pertuit to end the half 10-4 with the Pirates in the lead. 

Going into the second half Wolter scored a goal with an assist from Grace Maynard after five minutes of shot attempts and four consecutive fouls called on the Pirates. Hendrix answered back with two back to back goals, seeming to pull some momentum to try and get back into the game. However, the Pirates took back control of the game, preventing the Warriors from scoring for 21 minutes, while Wolter, Maynard, Deanna Hames and Haley Hurt were able to score five more goals for the Pirates and only allow Hendrix to score with three minutes left in the game.

"You know we played smart lacrosse. Nothing crazy, nothing fancy, just quality lacrosse. And when you play smart lacrosse against a team that starts to rush and panic, you are going to come out on top. The girls knew the game plan and executed it perfectly," says Hafdell. 

The high scorers for the Pirates were Pertuit who had four goals, five groundballs and one assist, as well as Wolter, who had four goals and one assist. 

Maynard had three goals, one assist and one ground ball. Jillie Klumbach contributed two goals and three ground balls while Hames also had two goals, two assists and two ground balls. Raven Garcia also had five ground balls for the Pirates. Goalie Sofia Valdespino had seven saves. Tessa Lewis also had two saves. 

Up next, the Pirates will get ready for their second away game against Rhodes College this Sunday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. in Memphis, Tenn.