ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. ----- The Auburn Montgomery women's soccer team beat Eckerd College 4-2 Thursday afternoon to kick off its 2017 campaign.
 
NOTES
• AUM starts the year 1-0 while Eckerd's record stands at 0-1.
• Sophomore Ruby Mendez tallied the third multiple-goal performance of her career in the victory.   
• Freshmen Marie Stober, Fabiana Alborghetti and Melissa Fernandez each collected their first collegiate points in the victory.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• Mendez tallied two goals and an assist for the Warhawks in the season opener, after leading the team with 11 goals a year ago. Mendez, who led the team with six shots and five shots on goal, scored in the 26th and 34th minute in the contest.
• Stober recorded her first career goal at the 51:24 mark, when she headed in a cross from Fernandez.
• Alborghetti netted her first goal of the 2017 campaign off a pass from Mendez with 35:46 remaining in the contest. She added five shots, four of which were on target.
• Fernandez tallied five shots, including two on goal, in her debut with the Warhawks.
• Junior Felicia Wester stopped four shots in goal to pick up her first victory of the year.
• Abby Sanchez and Stephanie Linton recorded the only goals for the Tritons in the 57^th and 69^th minute.  

HOW IT HAPPENED
• AUM took control early in the game, registering four shots on goal within the first 15 minutes while Eckerd only managed one shot on goal.
• After pressuring the Eckerd defense to begin the game, Mendez scored the first goal for the Warhawks in 2017 in the 26^th minute when she finished off a breakaway by beating the keeper to the right side.
• Mendez found the back of the net for the second time in the 34^th minute. After winning a one-on-one battle in the midfield, she chipped the goalie to up the AUM advantage to 2-0.
• Just 12 minutes into the second half, Stober made it 3-0 for the Warhawks when she dribbled through the defense beating the keeper to the right post. Fernandez tallied her first assist of the year on the play.
• Just three minutes later, Alborghetti netted her first of the season to extend the lead to 4-0 in the 55^th minute. Mendez laid the ball off for Alborghetti's goal to earn the assist.
• The Tritons avoided the shutout thanks to goals by Sanchez in the 57^th minute and Linton in the 69^th.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• AUM finished the match with 22 shots, with 13 put on target. The Tritons finished the game with 15 shots, including six on frame.
• Eckerd led AUM in corner kicks 6-2.  
• Eckerd recorded nine saves, while AUM picked up four.

STAT OF THE GAME
• With two goals and an assist, Mendez set a new career-high with five points in Thursday's victory. Mendez now has 13 career goals at AUM.
 
UP NEXT
• The Warhawks will return to action on Sunday, Sept. 3 when they travel to Young Harris, Ga., to play Young Harris College at 4 p.m.