By Stan Caldwell
 
HATTIESBURG – It's business as usual for William Carey University in women's soccer, as another banner season is underway.
 
The Crusaders, ranked second in the nation (NAIA), improved to 2-0 on the new season with a workmanlike 5-1 victory over Louisiana Christian University Thursday evening at Danny Owens Field. LCU dropped to 0-1-1.
 
WCU scored a goal in the first three minutes of play, and cruised to the early-season triumph, as the Crusaders look to return to the NAIA National Tournament, where they have been a hardy perennial.
 
"We're going to have to keep improving," said veteran Crusader coach Danny Owens. "We have a really tough regular-season schedule. We're just trying to get better each week, and get better game-by-game."
 
Carey took a quick 1-0 lead in the fourth minute of play, officially at 3:05 on the game clock, when senior forward Zalma Torres bombed in a takeaway to the right of the goal from 20 yards out.
 
The early lead allowed the Crusaders to dictate to the Wildcats throughout the game.
 
"I saw the defender hesitated a little bit, so I took the chance to pressure the goal, and I got a good outcome," said Torres. "I'm definitely excited about this team. We have some new talent to go with those of us who are back."
 
Torres is back for Carey after scoring 11 goals and 14 assists in a supporting role last season.
 
"I feel like we can win it all," said Torres. "I'm looking forward to working more with the team, and working together. It's exciting to see us as our chemistry gets better.
 
"Last year, we were close with Xavier and Louisiana Christian, and this year we put five goals on each of them, so I feel very confident about our team."
 
Sometimes an early goal can hamstring a team, as it lets up on the gas with the lead, and the Crusaders were no different. A brief lull in the defense allowed the Wildcats to mount the best challenge of the first half.
 
Midway through the period, LCU mounted two deep runs from senior Emma Monnet on back-to-back possessions, firing one shot on goal, and the other from a wide angle that was just off-target.
 
"It's true," said Owens. "Sometimes, you score too early, and the girls kind of relax a little bit. That's what we talked about at halftime, we just have to keep pressing forward.
 
"I do think we created some chances in the first half, where we missed a few goals that we should have scored."
 
But one several talented newcomers gave Carey what it needed right before halftime, when junior Leslie Vasquez powered home a long shot from 30 yards out, but straight on, that soared over the head of LCU goalkeeper Jaycee Woods into the net.
 
"It was great for the team to score right there," said Vasquez. "We've been working really hard all week, getting ready to play, and we were able to put some goals away."
 
Vasquez's goal came officially at 42:35. The junior from Denver, Colorado by way of Western Nebraska Community College, has found a welcoming culture in a program that is always in the NAIA Top 25 and is a regular contender for championships.
 
"I really appreciate to the opportunity to come here," said Vasquez. "It's a great culture. There's a lot of diversity and people from all over the place, so we get to experience different cultures. And they win."
 
The second half saw a much more focused Crusader team, especially on defense. Carey only allowed one shot in the second half, and that one happened to find the back of the net, when Valeria Casallas scored on a pass from senior Kayleigh Tomasich.
 
By that time, WCU owned a 3-0 lead with 17 minutes to play, thanks to a point-blank goal from senior Christina Salmon in the 58th minute of play (57:38 officially). Salmon was alone in front of the net after a fine crossing pass from senior newcomer Kokona Nishikawa.
 
Salmon was Carey's leading scorer last season with 23 goals, and she will be the anchor while Owens settles on a playing rotation.
 
"We have a lot of talented players who can play in multiple spots," said Salmon. "So each game, we go out and play a different position, we move around quite a bit to see where we fit
 
The Crusaders ran through the season undefeated until the NAIA National Championship game, losing in a penalty-kick shootout to Cumberlands (Ky.) after playing to a 1-1 tie in regulation and extra time.
 
"Last year's team was a special team, with the drive that we had," said Salmon. "To get to the last game and not win was difficult. But every year our goal is to get back and win it. That's what we're focusing on. Each game, we go into it with the mentality to win."
 
WCU has some big holes to fill, including the trio of Maria Azarias, Mariangela Jimenez and Julia Herbst, who combined for 58 goals and 52 assists last season. So finding the right personnel through integrating new players with veterans is critical early in the season.
 
"We're still toying with things," said Owens. "It's such a new group, and we're trying to put different people together on the field, with different substitution patterns, different formations, just tweaking and tinkering until we find what fits best with this group."
 
The Crusaders responded well to LCU's goal , adding two more scores in the last 14 minutes of play.
 
Nishikawa added her second assist of the game on a goal by sophomore Kristina Decker at 76:38, and Vasquez added an assist to her scoresheet on a goal by junior Tiare Hermosilla at 85:39.
 
Thursday's game was the Crusaders' last home game for nearly a month, with six consecutive road games, beginning Sunday against Lindsey Wilson College in a neutral-site match at Decatur, Alabama.
 
"I don't see it as a challenge," said Owens. "We like getting out on the road, don't mind playing in a hostile environment. It'll be fun."