PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas -  On a hot stifling evening the Prairie View A&M women's soccer team opened the 2018 schedule with a hard-fought 1-0 loss to McNeese at the PVAMU Soccer Field.
 
"I feel pretty good about our first game," said new PVAMU head soccer coach Sonia Curvelo.  "We've had a week to prepare and I think that the girls have taken the concepts that we worked on this week and we were able to see some of it in the game tonight.  I think that's positive.  You can see how passionate the players are, because in the second half they could have given up, but they didn't and that was the one thing I enjoyed watching.  They continued to fight."
 
The quick PVAMU defense and agility of freshman goal keeper Quinn Josiah allowed only one goal from the Cowgirls.  The goal came in the 25th minute of the game as the visitors found the back of the net.  McNeese kept the pressure on in the second half, as the PVAMU defense kept the Cowgirls out of the goal for the remainder of the game.
 
Three PVAMU players attacked the goal tallying three shots all three kicks forced solid stops by the Cowgirls goalkeeper.  Freshman Sonia Feuntes forced a shot in the 49^th minute, while teammates junior Gina Zavala De Rojas tried to push a shot pass the goal keeper in the 67^th minute, and sophomore Jojo Bernal's attempt came at the 77th minute.
 
Josiah who made her debut as a Lady Panther, notched 20 saves 12 in the first half and eight in the second.
 
"When we huddled up after the game, I definitely said that Quinn was the player of the match," Curvelo said of her freshman goal keeper.  "She really stepped up and made some big saves to keep us in the game.  I am very, very happy with her first game.  I know that she's only going to get better.  She led really well just stepping in and being a freshman.  It doesn't matter rather it's your position within the team, you don't have to be a senior to lead, it can be anyone.  For her to step up today, she did an excellent job.  I am excited to see how she does the rest of the season."
 
Prairie View A&M will return to action next Friday for a 7 p.m. matchup at the University of Houston.