MORAGA, Calif. --- The 2021 season opened for UC Irvine women's soccer with a trip to Saint Mary's for an exhibition match and the 'Eaters came away victorious, 1-0.

The sides agreed to play 110 minutes split into three 30-minute halves and a fourth 20-minute period Thursday afternoon.

The scoring happened four minutes into the second period as a pair of 'Eaters making their debuts linked up. Freshman Egyptian national, Laila El Behery, fed third-year Anteater, Alyssa Moore, who finished for the UC Irvine 1-0 lead 34 minutes in.

Other match notables saw the Gaels claim the advantage in shots (14-10) and fouls (20-13) and an even split of four corners apiece, but the Anteaters mix of keepers stopped six shots to Saint Mary's three to preserve the shutout.

Next up for the 'Eaters is the season opener, August 19. UCI travels up the road to UCLA for a 4:00 p.m. match to be featured on the Pac-12 Network.