The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's soccer team opened the 2018 season with a 1-0 victory over Millikin University Friday evening at Fiskum Field in Whitewater.
 
Freshman midfielder Alexis Ortega-Saa (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) nearly gave the Warhawks a 1-0 lead in the early moments of the season, but Millikin goalkeeper Jennifer Miller made a diving stop to her right to keep the game tied at zero.
 
The Warhawks continued with their offensive pressure minutes later when Kaci Schonert (Racine, Wis./Horlick) sent a corner into the box that Payton DeLuga (Algonquin, Ill./Dundee Crown) hit just wide of the net.
 
Millikin registered their first shot of the game in the 15th minute, but junior goalie Nina Yonan (Skokie, Ill./Niles North) made the save.
 
UW-W found their way onto the scoreboard in the 41st minute when a hand-ball by Millikin in the box resulted in a penalty kick. Jenel Karow (Franklin, Wis./Franklin) buried it in the back of the net for the 1-0 lead the Warhawks would cling to for the remaining 49 minutes.
 
Anna Boyd (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) likely gave the Warhawks their best scoring chance of the second half when she sent a nearly perfect corner into the box that found Peyton DeLuga's head. However, the Millikin keeper was positioned perfectly to make the save, and prevent the insurance goal.
 
Yonan racked up four saves in the match to earn the win and the shutout, the sixth of her career.
 
After the match, Head Coach Ryan Quamme offered his outlook on the season.
 
"I think we have a great group. Our attitudes are very good. We just have to figure out how to play with each other. We are asking them to play different systems and we have a lot of new personnel. We just need some time under our belt."
 
The Warhawks will travel to Springfield, Ohio to take on Wittenberg University at noon Eastern. The Tigers were an NCAA qualifier a season ago.