Middletown, RI --- Junior Jackie Lee (North Reading, MA) and sophomore Kaitlyn Birrell (Hope, RI) each scored their first goals of the season to lead the Salve Regina University women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over WPI in non-conference action Wednesday evening in the season opener for both teams at Gaudet Field.

The win marked the second-straight year the Seahawks (1-0) opened their season with a win over the Engineers (0-1), and they closed the all-time series gap to 5-7-1.

Junior tri-captain Liz Galla (Beacon Falls, CT) helped the Seahawks get on the board just over 12 minutes into the contest. She fired off a shot from the right side that was stopped by freshman Maddie Willer. (Penfield, NY), but Lee tapped in the rebound to give SRU a 1-0 lead at 12:22. Birrell staked the home team to a 2-0 lead with a great individual effort early in the second stanza. Last year's leading scorer broke down the right side of the field and fired a shot across the goal, off the left post, and into the net for her 16th career goal at 55:42.

Freshman Jessica Lane (Marshfield, MA) played the first 56 minutes in goal and recorded three saves en route to her first collegiate victory. Willer got the starting nod for WPI and stopped five shots. The teams each took 10 shots while the Engineers held a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

The Seahawks return to action on Friday when they host Bridgewater State at 4pm at Gaudet Field. The Engineers host Salem State on Saturday at 1pm.

Release Courtesy Salve Regina Sports Information