GENEVA, N.Y. – Ava Curtis' stunning free-kick goal and a superb collegiate debut from rookie goalkeeper Ellen Williams was enough to lift the No. 24 TCNJ women's soccer team to a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Washington & Lee at William Smith's Stand on Their Shoulders Invitational on Friday.
 
Curtis managed to bend a 25-yard free kick around the wall and into the bottom right corner of the net for the game's lone goal in the eighth minute of a well-fought battle between 2023 NCAA Tournament teams. Williams made it stand up with nine saves, six of them in the first half, to make the Lions a winner in the season opener for both sides.
 
The Generals began to take control after Curtis' early banger, forcing Williams into four saves in a four-minute span late in the first half. The rookie made three more stops after intermission to seal the clean sheet.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• W&L outshot the Lions, 14-10, for the game, including a 9-4 edge in shots on target
• TCNJ had five corners to the Generals' four
• Sophie Berman, Sarah Zimmerman, and Emily Burke led W&L with three shots each, with Berman putting all three attempts on frame
• Greta Bush registered a team-high two shots for the Lions

NOTES

• Curtis' goal was the eighth of her career
• Curtis was one of three TCNJ field players to play all 90 minutes, joining Rachel Burkhard and Caroline Rebele in the backfield
• Bush, Alyssa Alfano, and Allie O'Keefe joined Curtis with a shot on goal
• Taylor Bielan, Jaime Girtain, and Caroline Freer all made their first career starts for the Lions
• Emily Weidner, Taylor Krott, Lexi Caruso, Caroline Mascone, Jenny Ward, Raquel Garces, and Abby Najdzinowicz all made their TCNJ debuts, with Najdzinowicz playing 45 minutes to lead all reserves

UP NEXT

• The Lions take on Plattsburgh State, which lost 8-0 to host William Smith on Friday, in a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday