ERIE, Pa. – The Baldwin Wallace University women's soccer team won its 2019 season opener with a 2-0 shutout victory over Kenyon College in the Herb Lauffer Memorial Tournament, hosted by Penn State Behrend College.

BW (1-0), who won its second ever game against Kenyon (0-1) in its first meeting since 2004, advances to take on Nazareth (N.Y.) College in the championship game tomorrow at 7:30 p.m.

The majority of the first half featured a back-and-forth battle from both squads as there were minimal scoring opportunities early on. BW was able to penetrate through the Kenyon defense in the 32nd minute, as sophomore midfielder Olivia Kane (Hilliard/Darby) was able to capitalize on a rebound from a shot by junior midfielder Alex Guido (Macomb, Mich./Eisenhower), to bank in the first goal of the 2019 season for the Yellow Jackets. BW kept the pressure on the Ladies on the defensive end in the latter portion of the first half. Following a free kick by senior midfielder Kenna Poptic (Dublin/Jerome), sophomore forward Michelina Rush (North Huntingdon, Pa./Norwin) netted a timely goal with three seconds left on the clock before the break.

Kenyon came out firing in the second half with three shots on goal in the first 12 minutes of play. The Yellow Jackets were able to limit the Ladies' opportunities with terrific defensive congestion, as Kenyon failed to record another shot on goal for the remainder of the match. BW controlled the tempo in the closing moments of the game and were able to secure the shutout victory with a fantastic defensive performance.

Senior goalkeeper Emma Bruno (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bethel Park) recorded her first win of the season as well as her 13th career shutout, having corralled four saves in the process.