FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – LSU Eunice Women's Soccer enacted the old adage "Start Fast, Finish Strong" to a tee in the Bengals' 3-1 victory against Western Texas on Saturday.  It was the third straight season opening win for the Bengals (1-0) under head coach Courtney Murdoch – all coming on the road.
 
LSU Eunice came out guns blazing in the high noon showdown in the Lone Star State.  The Bengals scored the opening goal just three minutes into the match thanks to a clinical passing combination from Ella Stewart (Linlithgow, Scotland, Linlithgow Academy) and Loola Fermon (Valenciennes, France, Lycée Henri Darras).  Stewart dribbled through a pair of Western Texas defenders before finding Fermon in the alley on the left-hand side.  The freshman gave back to a cutting Stewart in the box, who pushed one past the Westerner goalkeeper on the near post.
 
Western Texas, however, responded later in the first half with a long-range free kick that tucked in the upper 90 of the goal to knot the game going into intermission.
 
That would just reenergize the LSUE side, who scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute.  Thanks to a sweltering Texas afternoon, starting goalkeeper Catherine Beckman (Walker, LA, Walker HS) joined the field for the first time in her collegiate career.  The sophomore made the most of it crashing the near post on a Katherine Evans (Chiche, France, Lycee De La Venise Verte Niort) corner kick and flicking in her first goal as a Bengal in the 58th minute.
 
Evans would again have the finishing touch less than 60 seconds later, helping LSUE add another insurance goal thanks to a set piece.  The sophomore lofted a far post corner kick to Arndís Dóra Ólafsdóttir (Hafnarfjörður, Iceland, Fjölbrautaskólinn í Garðabæ), netting an insurance goal with a header.
 
Beckman and freshman Hannah Vaillant (Poitiers, France, Lycée Marguerite de Valois) shared time in net, combining for seven saves in the victory. 
 
LSU Eunice turns around and heads back to Texas next weekend to kick off conference play.  The Bengals invade Paris Junior College on Thursday, August 27 before tangling with Northeast Texas Community College on Saturday, August 29.