TACOMA, Wash. -- Puget Sound put two goals on the board in the first nine minutes of the game to win the Northwest Conference opener over Lewis & Clark 4-0 at Peyton Field on Saturday afternoon.

The loss is the first of the season for the Pioneers, who had swept their four-game non-conference schedule by outscoring opponents 10-2. 

On Saturday, however, the Pioneers were outshot 17-6, including an 8-2 margin in the opening half. 

Pioneers head coach Jim Tursi said the start really set Lewis & Clark back.

"We allowed a goal in the first minute-and-a-half and were a little flat," said Tursi. "Being down 2-0 that early against the No. 6 team in the country forces you to have to figure out how to play well the rest of the game. 

"The first 10 minutes really set the tone." 

Anna Thorndike (pictured right) had two early shots, both inside the 27th minute, to lead the Pios offensively. Her first shot was the only one put on goal by Lewis & Clark, as Puget Sound goalkeeper Lauren Thomas (5-0-1) had one save throughout the entire match. 

The game opened with a goal from Annie Prickett in the second minute, her first of the season, to give Puget Sound a 1-0 lead. 

In the next seven minutes, Danielle Silver missed a shot high for UPS before Amalia Acorda-Fey's effort was stopped by Lewis & Clark goalkeeper Kelley Koeppen. After Thorndike's first shot, the Pios had their first corner of the game.

In the ninth minute, though, Acorda-Fey was awarded a penalty kick off which she scored her fourth goal of the year, giving the Loggers a 2-0 lead. 

The game was the first that Koeppen (4-1) allowed multiple goals all season, as she finished the contest with five saves on nine shots before being replaced by freshman Sandra Alvarenga in the 83rd minute.

Tursi says Lewis & Clark had to use certain players in smaller doses throughout the game as the team was battling illness. As a result, senior Kylie Carera (pictured below right) played the first 72 minutes, attempting one shot. She also played a key role when the Pios didn't have the ball.

"[Carera] was exceptional today," said Tursi. "She was able to create all the chances that we had and worked hard defensively. We have a lot of kids who were ill, so they could only play short minutes. 

"She had to do a lot of the work."

Puget Sound put up four more shots before halftime, three of which were stopped by Koeppen. Lewis & Clark didn't post a shot after the 26th minute and trailed 2-0 at half.

In the second half, Puget Sound again scored on the first shot of the half, this time on Cassie Winter's first goal of the season. The 48th minute goal gave the Loggers a 3-0 edge.

Sarah Schoville missed high on Lewis & Clark's first second half shot in the 62nd minute before Carera missed high as well in the 64th minute.

After a header attempt from Bailey Edwards was blocked off a corner kick, the Loggers got another corner, this time scoring when Grayson Williams-Krebs put in a rebound of Jordyn McLuen's saved shot. The first goal of the season for Williams-Krebs gave Puget Sound a 4-0 lead in the 67th minute.

Karley Pate and Ella Turkot both missed wide on the Pios only shot attempts the rest of the game.
Puget Sound had a 9-2 advantage on corner kicks and committed five more fouls than Lewis & Clark, 10-5.

Already anticipating a tough road weekend, Tursi is eager to see how his team can bounce back against Pacific Lutheran on Sunday at noon. The Lutes almost made the NSCAA NCAA Division III Women's Soccer National Poll, on which Puget Sound was No. 6. Pacific Lutheran lost to Willamette 2-0 on Saturday.

"PLU got beat by Willamette, so it'll be interesting," said Tursi. "If we come up with more energy, it will hopefully keep us from getting down early, which is a key on the road."

The Pioneers return to Portland for home games with George Fox and Pacific next Saturday and Sunday after what will be four straight road matches.