BETHANY, Okla. — Southwestern Christian University women's soccer opened the 2026 season in impressive fashion Monday night, earning a 4-1 victory over Southwestern at home.
The Eagles wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, taking a 1-0 lead just 39 seconds into the match. Abbigail Johnson found the back of the net off an assist from Shosona Graham to give SCU the early advantage.
Southwestern answered in the 32nd minute when Lauren Howard scored off an assist from Kaila Correa, sending the teams into halftime tied 1-1.
SCU came out of halftime and quickly regained control. Johnson scored her second goal of the night in the 51st minute, this time unassisted, to put the Eagles back in front, 2-1. Just over a minute later, Monse Villacres extended the lead to 3-1 with an assist from Graham.
The Eagles continued to apply pressure and added another goal in the 66th minute. Sofia Jimenez found the net off an assist from Johnson, giving SCU a 4-1 advantage that it would hold through the final whistle.
SCU's offense consistently pressured the Southwestern defense throughout the match, finishing with 19 shots, including nine shots on goal, compared to just five total shots and three shots on goal for Southwestern.
Johnson led the Eagles with two goals and an assist, while Graham finished with two assists. Villacres and Jimenez each added a goal, giving SCU four goals from three different players.
In goal, Lorelai Puglisi played all 90 minutes and made two saves while allowing one goal. Southwestern Christian's defense limited Southwestern to just three shots on goal throughout the match.
The victory moves Southwestern Christian to 1-0 on the season, while Southwestern falls to 0-1. The match was played in front of an announced crowd of 250 at SCU.
The Eagles will look to build on the strong opening performance as they continue the 2026 season.
