MARS HILL, N.C.  – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's soccer team opened the season with a hard fought 1-0 overtime victory at Mars Hill Thursday evening.

The Pacers are 1-0 while the Lions are 0-1.

"I am extremely excited," head coach Hilary George said. "The team has made a huge transition from the first scrimmage. To see how far they've come is promising."

USC Aiken started the contest out strong and dominated the first 45 minutes of play. Despite not being able to find the back of the net in the first period, George's team possessed the ball for much of the first half and played in the Lions' third of the pitch.

Sarah Drury ripped a shot on frame at the 3:29 mark, but was turned away by the keeper. Seconds later, Rachel Romeo blasted an attempt that was saved, keeping the contest scoreless.

Mars Hill managed to register a couple of shots in the closing minutes of the period, but Karin Cadwalader was up to the challenge, turning away the home squad.

The home team pushed forward in the early portion of the second half, but Cadwalader was up for the task once again. In the 71^st minute, Romeo rocketed another shot on frame, but it was saved.

After a scoreless second half, the teams continued play in overtime. Although the Lions had a shot in the 93^rd minute, Catherine McHale ended the game with a golden goal at the 96:41 mark. After the ball was thrown in, Sarah Moore swerved through the defense and left it for McHale. She promptly touched it with her left foot and ripped a shot. The attempt deflected off a defender and found the back of the net for the 1-0 win.

Cadwalader played all 96:41 between the pipes for the clean sheet. She stopped four saves in the victory.

The season-opening win was the first for USC Aiken since Sept. 1, 2001. That win was a 1-0 overtime contest at Coker.

The Pacers return to action on Saturday, Sept. 3, when they play at Oglethorpe at 4 p.m.