COLUMBIA, Mo. - The William Woods University women's soccer team opened conference play with a 5-0 shut out over Stephens College (Mo) Tuesday evening. The win marks their first of the season, moving them to 1-1 with a 1-0 conference mark.

McKenzie Gourley set the tone early when she scored less than four minutes into the game off Cindy Gonzales' pass to give the Owls a 1-0 lead.  

The Owls quickly extended the lead to 2-0 when Lauren Helmert found the back of the net from Sydney Balducci's assist just 07:25 into the first period.

After three unsuccessful shot attempts, Gourley netted her second goal of the game to give the Owls a 3-0 advantage.

With 18 minutes into the first half, Savannah Smith passed the ball to Lauren Helmert to find the back of the net once more, giving the Owls a 4-0 lead. 

The Owls had the final four shots of the first half but none of those found the back of the net. Stephens did not have a shot on goal during the first period.

Goal number five came in the 57th minute when Gourley completed a hat trick to lead 5-0. While the Owls fired off 11 shots on goal in the second half, they were unable to score again.

The Owls out shot Stephens 35-1 and finished with 18 shots on goal attempts during the game. 

Cevana Borgstedt (1-0) played 90 minutes in between the posts and recorded one save.

The Owls will next take on Missouri Baptist University at their home-opener on Saturday, Mar. 6, at 11 a.m.