SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The reigning Atlantic 10 champion La Salle University women's soccer team used an early goal and a stout defense down the stretch to defeat Atlantic Coast Conference opponent Syracuse, 1-0, in its season opener on Thursday evening. Preseason All-Atlantic 10 pick Madison Bower found the back of the net in the sixth minute for the Explorers, who defeated an ACC foe for the first time since 2014.

"It was great to see the girls really play scrappy when we needed to," head coach Paul Royal said. "To use 19 players just shows the quality of depth we have and the reliability of those players. The defense really stepped up in big moments. Claudia (Jenkins) made a tremendous save on a PK, and Clarissa (Kirsch-Downs) and Madi (Bower) really showed their leadership on the field by their outstanding performances."

Bower had the first opportunity of the contest just over five minutes in and did not disappoint. After accepting a pass in the box, the redshirt senior made a pair of slick moves to evade two defenders before depositing her shot far post to give La Salle an early 1-0 lead.

In the 19th minute, the Explorers had a pair of corner kicks and both threatened to double the lead. The first was knocked out of bounds by Syracuse keeper Jordan Harris, and the second was headed by senior Clarissa Kirsch-Downs into Harris' grasp. La Salle entered the locker room with a 5-2 edge in shots, and neither of Syracuse's shots were on net.

The second half began with a pair of nice plays by La Salle freshman Camaren Cox. The first came off a beautiful service by classmate Isabella Gonsiewski and the second was a chip from just outside the box that went wide.

After the initial burst to start the second half by the Explorers, Syracuse began to put pressure on and was awarded a penalty kick in the 61st minute. Sophomore Claudia Jenkins was up to the task, however, as she moved to her right and denied SU's Taylor Bennett to keep the Explorers in front. 

With less than 10 minutes left, the Orange took three consecutive corner kicks but La Salle's defense was again there to shut down any threat. Bower also played a big role down the stretch, using her ability to possess to drain valuable minutes from the clock.

Overall, the Explorers outshot Syracuse, 10-6, while the two teams each had five corner kicks. Jenkins recorded the first full shutout of her career, registering a pair of saves.

La Salle returns to Philadelphia to open its home schedule on Sunday, Aug. 19 against UMBC at McCarthy Stadium. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. The contest will be aired live on ESPN+ (subscription required).

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