SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Embry-Riddle women's soccer team opened its first season of competition in NCAA Division II with a 1-0 win over North Carolina-Pembroke on Friday on the first day of the Armstrong Pirate Shootout. The Eagles weathered a three-hour lightning delay before taking the field and handing the Braves their first loss of the season.
 
The Eagles will close out play in the Shootout on Sunday when they take on host Armstrong State at 11 a.m.
 
"Today begins a new era for the Embry-Riddle Athletics and our soccer program so we were excited to get going," ERAU Head Coach Samantha Bohon said. "There are a lot of unknowns with the transition to NCAA II so with some of these games we don't what to expect.  We were thrilled to get a result today. It wasn't necessarily the prettiest game or the best performance on our end and maybe nerves played a little bit of a role in that, but just really happy to start the season off with a win.
 
"Lars [Andersson] does a good job of organizing the UNC-Pembroke group. They play in a tough conference as well so they're certainly used to tough competition and I think they'll do well this year."
 
The Eagles struck early in the contest as 2014 NAIA National Player of the Year Andrea Froshaug picked up where she left off a year ago, netting the game's only goal. The play started in the back with goalkeeper Olivia Lynch who got the ball out to freshman Guro Naess Berge. Berge found Annie Gelnaw out on the left side and the sophomore slipped a pass to Froshaug running down the center of the pitch. Froshaug took the ball back toward the left before rifling a shot across the goal that went off the far post and into the back of the net to give the Blue and Gold the 1-0 advantage.
 
UNCP managed to improve their possession in the latter part of the first frame, but the Eagles were able to snuff out any threats and keep the ball out of the back of the net.
 
The Eagles had a chance to add to their tally early in the second half as Katherine Ebbs' lofted ball beat UNCP goalie Janae Aiken and floated toward the goal, but Aiken got some help from the frame as the ball bounced off the cross bar and back into play. Froshaug had another chance shortly after, but she narrowly missed her shot wide. 
 
The Braves edged the Eagles 16-15 in shots and 8-5 in shots on frame, but eight saves by Lynch helped ERAU preserve the one-goal advantage.

"Ultimately we're really excited to get the win, start the weekend off right and get ready to play a very tough Armstrong State team," Bohon concluded. We've faced them before in spring competition before and we know we've got a tough challenge ahead of us for Sunday."