Union, MO – No. 17 Indian Hills Women's Soccer rolled to a convincing win in its season opener on Saturday as the Warriors topped East Central College (MO) 11-0. Eight different Warriors scored a goal in the victory.

Ranked No. 17 in the preseason National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Women's Soccer poll, the Warriors controlled the season opener from start-to-finish following Hope Ward's (Burlington, IA/Burlington Notre Dame) goal just three minutes in. Indian Hills has now won seven consecutive season openers.

"The first game out is always interesting to see how the players react," stated head coach Anthony Longo. "They came out with the intensity we constantly talk about and got on the scoreboard early."

Ward's initial goal sparked an offensive outburst for the Warriors. Fellow sophomores Risa Ogasawara (Yokohama, Japan/Hinomoto), Makayla Reed (Waverly, IA/Waverly-Shell Rock), and Bailey Wiemann (Burlington, IA/Burlington) tallied the next four goals for the Warriors while Ogasawara and sophomore Georgie Lewis (Bowral, Australia, Bowral) were credited with four of the first five assists on the day.

"Offensively it was good to see the sophomores step up and lead with early goals," Longo added. "We will rely heavily on sophomore leadership this year, and today showed they are up for the job."

Freshmen Elisabeth Plouy (Twin Falls, ID/Twin Falls), Autumn Burland (Polson, MT/Polson), and Janette Ortiz-Chavez (Lexington, NE/Lexington) each added goals in the first 45 minutes as Indian Hills built a comfortable 8-0 margin at halftime.

Lewis, Plouy, and Wiemann all tacked on scores in the second half as the Warriors ran away with the nonconference matchup in Union.

Wiemann, the team's leading scorer from a season ago, tallied eight points on three goals and two assists to lead the team on Saturday. Ogasawara added five points as well as four points apiece from Lewis and Plouy.

Freshman Trisha Westphal (Lockridge, IA/Fairfield) played all 90 minutes in net to secure her first career shutout.

"Defensively we were very solid," Longo noted. "That's going to be one of our biggest strengths this year."

The 11 goals are the most for a Warrior team since an 11-0 victory at Scott Community College on Sept. 18, 2019.

Originally scheduled to play Sunday afternoon, the Warriors' match vs. Jefferson College has been cancelled. Next up for Indian Hills is the Indian Hills Classic at Schafer Stadium in Ottumwa. The three-team tournament opens up Friday with the Warriors squaring off against Bryant & Stratton College (WI) at 10:00 AM.