COLUMBIA, S.C. - The CIU women's soccer team started the season off strong with a 5 to 1 victory over the Edward Waters Tigers on Wednesday night at Sessions Field. Coach Kara Farnsworth Lail's squad saw scoring from a host of Rams in their first game of the 2021 season, which propelled them to a convincing win. 

Score Summary: 
The first goal of the season came at the 11:56 mark of the first half by freshmen forward Mazzie Leos with defender Sara Fragomeni assisting. Then, at almost the 20:00 minute mark, junior midfielder Tara Collins would score her first goal of the game. Junior Haley Hernandez would record the assist on that score. At this point, the Rams looked to run away with the match until Destianna Manning would strike at the 37:51 mark before the half to keep the Tigers within one score. At the half, the Rams would lead 2 to 1. 

CIU's offense would pick up in the second half as at the 60:00 minute of the game, the Rams would tack on two goals. The first goal came by Tara Collins and the second by Leaoness Hinojos, which Mazzie Leos assisted. Both were scored within roughly 30 seconds of each other. The game's final goal came from sophomore defender Amber McKinley at the 79:40 mark of the game, which was assisted by midfielder Avery Long. 

Postgame Reaction: 
Tara Collins had an impressive outing scoring two goals in the match, providing a spark to help lead the way for the Rams. CIURAMS.com spoke to her briefly after the game: 

What's Next:
The Rams improve to 1-0 on the 2021 season and will now turn their attention to their next opponent, Carolina University (N.C.). That game will be played at Sessions Field this coming Saturday, Aug. 28. and kick-off is set for 7 pm.