Arkansas Pine Bluff won its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener Friday, scoring a 2-1 win on Friday afternoon against Grambling State University.

The Lady Lions (5-4-1, 1-0-0) got on the board early when Perri Weslosky scored off a header from a cross by Silvia Fuentes. The Lady Lions continued to apply a lot of pressure on the Tigers, but were unable to finish some golden chances to put the game out of reach. The Lady Tigers of Grambling were able to get on the board on a long range free kick for their only shot of the half. The score was 1-1 going into half time.

"I felt that we came out strong," said Head Coach Roberto Mazza. "We just needed to put our chances away to extend the lead and that's what kept Grambling in the game.”

In the second half the Lady Lions kept pouring on the pressure and created many chances. The Lady Lions finally scored the winning goal when senior captain Rachel Harker finished a cross from Silvia Fuentes that was assisted by Perri Weslosky.

“I told the girls to be patient and not to get frustrated because the next goal was going to come,” said Mazza. "We wanted to make sure we came out today and get our first win to start off on the right foot.”The Lady Lions outplayed the Tigers in all areas of the field. “There was no doubt that we out played them and it was a deserving win,” said Mazza.

“I thought we did well today,” said Rachel Harker. "The first conference game is out of our system and we will build off of this. We are starting to click and have players back in the lineup that will help us get better”.

Jade West, SWAC Offensive player of the Year for the 2008 and 2009 seasons, was back on the field for her first game after being sidelined for a full year due to an ACL injury. “It's hard to expect a player to make an impact after being out for a year," said Mazza. "Jade really surprised me and the team when she got in the game and made an immediate impact. Having Jade back in the lineup will only make other teams worry about her and make us better. The things she had to overcome in a course of a year were painful to see, but this is her time to shine and she will take advantage of her time on the field.”

“It felt great being back on the field with my teammates. I feel very confident and excited that I am back on the field with my teammates,” said West.

Freshman goalkeeper Meaghan Storie made her college career debut when she started in the second half and kept a clean sheet. “Meaghan has been working very hard for this opportunity, said Mazza. "We know she is a very good keeper and she will compete for a starting position as we move forward into SWAC play.”

The Lady Lions will be back in action when they travel to Alcorn State on Friday and Mississippi Valley State on Sunday.