Rachel Gutowski’s free kick goal was the difference as Wilmington College opened the women’s soccer season with a 1-0 win over Mount St. Joseph at Charlie Gilhart Field Thursday night. “I was very pleased with how we played, even though we only scored one goal,” Wilmington head coach Steve Spirk said. “I thought we outplayed them and moved the ball around nicely and switched the field. We created some opportunities; our finishing just isn’t at full power yet. That’s OK because we are planning on getting better at that. The fact that we created some things is very encouraging.” The Quakers did some serious door pounding in the opening half, taking 11 shots to just three for the Lions. Good chances, however, did not lead to goals as the game went scoreless to the break. Gutowski (Petoskey, Mich.) snapped the tie by ripping a free kick just outside the 18 into the Lions’ goal in the 57th minute. “Taking advantage of your free kicks is important,” Spirk said. “I told the girls that when you get them, make good use of them. Rachel hit a great shot.” The Quakers had the best of play down the stretch, but couldn’t add to their one-goal advantage. For the game, Wilmington took 21 shots to seven for the Mount. The Quakers also owned an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks. Abbey Williamson (Grove City/Bishop Ready) went the distance in goal to pick up the shutout. Wilmington will travel to Memphis, Tenn., this weekend to face Maryville (Tenn.) and Rhodes in the Rhodes Classic. “The nice thing about tonight is that we got to play a lot of players,” Spirk said. “We got some freshmen in there for some experience. They are definitely going to contribute down the stretch for us. Winning this game with more than just our starters is encouraging for the future.”