Box Score WENHAM, Mass.—The University of Maine at Fort Kent put the pressure on the Gordon Women's Soccer team from the opening whistle. The Bengals never relented pressuring the Fighting Scots' net and marched away with a 4-0 win in the opener of the Gordon Soccer Classic—spoiling Gordon's home debut.
 
The game began with possession by the Bengals, setting the tone for the match by putting Gordon on the defensive in the early stages. Gordon starting keeper McKenzie Dion (North Grafton, Mass.) saw two shots in the first three minutes of the game, including a header into the net off UMFK's Marie Montagne. Fort Kent striker Katherine Ferland sent a beautiful ball into the fray from the right side, which Montagne finished with ease past a diving Dion to put the Bengals up 1-0 just three minutes in. 
 
UMFK's attack continued only a few minutes later, but Gordon matched their vigorous advances with a few counters of its own. Some nifty passing got the ball downfield to Hannah Midwinter (Barkhamsted, Conn.) about 20 yards from the net. The first shot at goal by Gordon was six minutes into the match by Midwinter, sailing it just over the goal.
           
The two teams traded possession back and forth for the next 20 minutes of play, in a game of cat and mouse. Each time the other team tried to advance the ball forward, they were forced to settle for a length shot thanks to stiff defensive efforts.  It wasn't until twenty-two minutes into the first half that Gordon seemed to find their offensive stride, keeping the ball in the Bengals' end of the field for a few minutes.
 
The change of momentum was short lived for the Scots, as Bengals' striker Yosselin Berrueco found a seam in the Gordon defense and struck a ball past Dion for the 2-0 lead. At the 35-minute mark Ferland led the attack once again for UMFK, but this time finished off the score herself to put the Scots in a three-goal hole. Ferland would strike again just a minute before the half on a strike just inside the 18-yard box for an improbable four-goal lead at the break.
 
Gordon (0-1) was able to buckle down on defense in the second half and at times looked to control possession in the middle of the field. However, every time their advance was thwarted by a strong Bengal defensive wall. Midwinter and Shelby Palafox (Lexington, Conn.) each had strong halves moving the ball up the field, but to no avail.
 
UMFK (1-0) peppered the Gordon goal with 23 goals, forcing Dion and Katie Mader (Scarborough, Maine) to make eight saves on the afternoon. Gordon managed 11 shots on the afternoon, but all five on net were saved by Michelle Delgadillo.
 
Gordon will look to rebound on the second day of the tournament, when they take on the University of Southern Maine. UMFK will take on WPI, 2-0 winners over the Huskies of USM on Friday night.