JACKSON, Miss. – The Belhaven women's soccer team dropped their conference opener on Thursday, falling 2-0 to SSAC Western Division rival William Carey. The Blazers now turn their attention to Auburn University-Montgomery on Saturday, while the Lady Crusaders will again put their national #2 ranking on the line in conference play.

"It's a loss, but it's one we can take in a positive way. We approached the game in a defensive way, and we stayed with the script as much as we could," Head Coach Josue Sabillon said. "I couldn't be more proud of our girls for executing in an important conference game."

Lauren Satcher got the Lady Crusaders on the scoreboard in the ninth minute on a corner kick, helping Claudia Saucedo extend her team lead in assists. William Carey added their final goal in the 64th minute when Brittany Lang found the back of the net.

The Blazers failed to manage a shot against their attack-minded guests, allowing Linfah Jones to pick up a shutout in the goal. Belhaven goalkeeper Nicole Walsh recorded 11 saves, her eighth career game at Belhaven in double figures in that category. Walsh is now less than 20 saves away from Belhaven's career record.

"She has done an amazing job by making crucial saves that keep us in the game," Sabillon said. "She is a big time leader in the back for us, and she was our player of the game tonight."

Belhaven will look to rebound against Auburn University-Montgomery on Saturday in hopes of their first conference victory. The match is set to begin at 5:00 pm from the Belhaven Bowl.

"AUM is a very good team, as is the rest of our conference," Sabillon said. "We are looking forward to Saturday. We expect to be playing for a win."