MILWAUKEE - Sophomore Anna Smalley scored in the 52nd minute and junior Paige Lincicum recorded the shutout to send the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Western Illinois University Friday night at Engelmann Stadium. The victory was the first for the Panthers (1-0) in a season opener in four years, controlling the game against the Leathernecks (0-1) for the majority of the night. "Throughout the game, we were able to keep the ball," head coach Troy Fabiano said. "The last 15 minutes we panicked a little bit, which led to some unsettling times, but it's a learning process. We told the girls, you got the first result, move on. We have a lot to work on, but the most important thing was to get the 'W'." It was also the first win for Fabiano, who was named the eighth head coach in program history in the offseason. "It's good to get that first win out of the way the first game," Fabiano said. "It was a great atmosphere; a big crowd. Thanks to everyone for coming out, we really enjoyed it." Scoreless at intermission, Milwaukee came out of the locker room firing shots at goal. Junior Callie O'Donnell started the flurry with an attempt in the 47th minute right at the post and classmate Maria Stephans followed suit in the 49th. "In the second half, we told them, don't be afraid to take people on, create some opportunities," Fabiano said. "I felt like we were going backwards way too much just keeping the ball." With the ball deep in Leatherneck territory from the second-half whistle, a goalkeeper clearance ended up at the foot of freshman Brooke Polonus near midfield. She found Smalley, who did the rest, finishing from around 20 yards out with a shot to the far post that evaded the outstretched arms of the keeper and rewarded the Panthers with a well-deserved goal. The team spent the majority of the final 40 minutes trying to double its advantage, but had to rely on a handful of saves from Lincicum to prevail with the first victory in a season opener since the 2011 campaign. Lincicum was not called upon in the first half and had just an easy save from distance to her credit prior to the final 15 minutes. But, she saved the day in the 74th minute, pushing a close-range shot just wide before helping the defense clear the ensuing corner kick. "I think the biggest thing we struggled with was just managing the game," Fabiano said. "Having people with not a lot of experience on the field showed. But, it's a learning curve and they were able to hold onto it without giving up a goal." Lincicum also stopped a potential equalizer with a nice save in the 77th minute and the Panthers were able to hold on from there. Redshirt freshman Olivia Wright made a nice impression in 52 minutes off the bench, recording three shots. She beat the keeper to a loose ball in the box and nearly snuck it into the open goal, only to have a WIU defender clear it at the final moment in the 67th. Her far-post header on a terrific free kick from junior Taylor Swittel also went just wide in the 70th minute. Both teams spent most of the first 20 minutes feeling each other out, with not much offense going either way. Milwaukee was the first to start connecting and ended the first 45 minutes with a commanding 7-0 advantage in shots. The Panthers dominated possession in the second half as well, ending the night with an 18-to-7 advantage in shots and a 6-to-1 edge in corner kicks. Lincicum finished the night with three saves for her sixth career shutout. Victoria Kappel had five saves for the Leathernecks. Stephans led UWM with four shots, two of which were on target. Up next, the Panthers have seven days off to enjoy the victory and get ready for a weekend road trip. First up is a stop at Illinois State Friday, set for a kickoff of 7 p.m.