OMAHA, Neb. – The Midwestern State Mustangs collected it’s fifth season opening victory in the last six year with a 2-1 triumph over Truman State (Mo.) Friday afternoon at the Nebraska-Omaha Soccer Field. The Mustangs (1-0) never trailed in the game to the Bulldogs (0-1), the team that knocked them out of the NCAA Division II Tournament a season ago. “We are very happy with the win,” said MSU Soccer Coach Jeff Trimble. “We played well, but Truman really took it to us. This was a big regional win and we survived it.” Senior All-South Central Region forwards Kelsey Hill and Lindsay Pritchard combined for the game-winner in the game’s 32nd minute. Pritchard, the senior from Whitehouse, started a run downfield and delivered an over-the-top pass to Hill who buried it past Truman keeper Jayne Grisham. “Those two do such a great job together,” said Trimble. “Lindsay made an excellent pass and Kelsey finished it off.” The Mustangs didn’t take long to record the season’s first goal to open the scoring. In the fifth minute of the contest, Truman had the ball in the box in the defensive end when the Dogs misplayed a clearing pass. Emily Saville, a sophomore midfielder from North Crowley making her first start for MSU, claimed possession of the loose ball and connected to give Mustangs a 1-0 lead. “Emily was right there when they miscleared it,” added Trimble. “Then she finished it well. It was a great goal.” The Bulldogs evened the score eight minutes later when the Mustangs were whistled for a foul in the box. Jaclyn Schumann converted the penalty kick to tie the game at 1-1. But all of the scoring was done in the first half. The second half was a defensive struggle. “Our back line did a great job,” Trimble said. “Hanna Staley, Callie Briseno, Heidi Avila and Megan Barnhart cleared the ball out well. They were our most consistent unit.” “And then (goal keeper) Mallory (Whitworth) was Mallory,” he added. “She controlled the line.” Whitworth was credited with two saves against the Bulldogs. The Mustangs have a day off before meeting host Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday afternoon at 1:00. UNO is in its first year of transition to Division I after moving up this past spring when it dropped football and it’s national championship wrestling programs.