Goshen, IN — It might have been a new feeling for head coach Thavisith Mounsithiraj, but judging by the play of the Goshen College women’s soccer team Tuesday night it will — in all likelihood — happen again.

Goshen knocked off Mid-Central Conference foe Huntington University by a 2-0 score in its first MCC match of the season, the first league-opening win in Mounsithiraj’s five years at the helm of the program. The Leafs’ second straight win never looked to be in jeopardy, as Goshen (3-4, 1-0) dominated all phases of the game before tacking on a pair of late-half goals at the Goshen College Soccer Complex.

“We picked up tonight right where we left off Saturday in our win over Calumet,” Mounsithiraj said following Tuesday’s match. “Our girls came out intense and ready to play. I was very happy with our overall effort tonight.”

The Leafs put together perhaps their most complete period of play during Tuesday’s first half, maintaining possession of the ball for the majority while never allowing Huntington a quality look at sophomore goalkeeper Emmy Gibson, who had to make just a pair of saves to preserve the shutout. Junior Lucy Roth made a triumphant return to the lineup after suffering an ankle injury against Bluffton University on Sept. 9 (click here for related article), being inserted at forward and paying dividends almost immediately.

“Our ball movement in the first half was probably as good as it has been all year,” Mounsithiraj said. “It was great to get Lucy Roth back in the lineup. She, along with (freshman forward) Kaylee Pichardo, (senior outside midfielder) Mary Jo Martin and (freshman midfielder) Trish Hershberger made many greats runs and I knew it would only be a matter of time before we were able to get a goal.”

That time came just before halftime, as junior Sara Groff placed a beautiful free kick into the back of the Forester’s net at the game’s 43rd minute. After Hershberger was fouled just outside of Huntington’s 18-yard box directly in front of the goal, Mounsithiraj called on Groff who placed a perfect shot into the upper right corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.

Goshen continued its dominance in the second half — the Leafs eventually took seven shots on Huntington’s goal compared to the aforementioned two by the visitors — though the game eventually got sloppier. A continuous fine mist and temperatures in the upper 40’s deteriorated conditions as the match continued, lessening the amount of Goshen’s finely-tuned passes in the second half.

Late personnel pushes by Huntington helped Goshen add a score late in the match, as Pichardo received a sweet cross from Roth with just eight minutes remaining on the game clock. Pichardo was able to run down the pass and one touch the ball into the lower left-hand corner of Huntington’s net, giving the Forester keeper no chance to react to the shot.

“We kept our shape throughout the entire field tonight,” Mounsithiraj said. “Our defense moved the ball well and helped to create many of our chances. I really like the way (sophomore) Amy Clem and (freshman) Allison Yoder are playing from their outside back positions right now. I was also very pleased with our subs coming in to the game. They kept our intensity up and played very well.”

The win was the second consecutive on the season for the team, the first time Goshen has recorded back-to-back victories since 2004.

“We really wanted to open the conference portion of our schedule with a win and now we hope to build on it,” Mounsithiraj said. “Next Monday starts of a long couple weeks for us as we will be playing five games in 10 days. I feel really good about our next few games. We are heading in the right direction and continue to be more consistent with our play.”

Goshen will remain idle until Monday, when the team will host Andrews University for a 7 p.m. start time. That match is the beginning of a five-game in 10-day stint, with three of those matches coming against MCC opponents.