AIKEN, S.C. – The University of South Carolina Aiken women's soccer team notched a 2-1 victory over Albany State in the PBC opener.

The Pacers are now 2-2 on the season, including a 1-0 ledger in league action.

Head coach Tina Murphy's team pushed forward in the early going, getting a result in the 13^th minute of action when Charlotte Mannella found Maria Rivera for the score. Mannella crossed the ball to Rivera, who went to the far post for the score.

The USC Aiken defense was solid, keeping the visitors at bay through much of the half. At the 41:38 mark, Jourdan Gruber found Raegan Buchanan along the left side of the pitch. Two dribbles later, Buchanan rocketed a shot into the upper right for a 2-0 advantage.

The Pacers controlled possession for much of the second half. When the Golden Rams had a good opportunity with 10 minutes left, Mary Cecil dove to her right, getting her hands on the ball and deflected it off the crossbar, keeping the score at 2-0.

With under three minutes to play, Albany State had a throw in and quickly converted it to a goal, slicing the deficit to 2-1.

Murphy's team stood strong in the defensive third in the waning seconds, clearing a pair of attempts by the visitors to get the equalizer.

USC Aiken held a 9-4 advantage in shots on goal.

Mary Cecil played all 90 minutes between the pipes and registered three saves.

The Pacers return to action Wednesday when they host Catawba at 4 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at PacerSports.com.