ERIE, PA -- Sarah Fails (Girard, Pa./Villa Maria) scored in close on a rebound off a free kick late in the first half as the Gannon University women's soccer team topped Slippery Rock University 1-0 on Wednesday evening in the Golden Knights' home opener at McConnell Family Stadium. 

Gannon improved to 2-1-0 overall and 1-0-0 in the PSAC West while Slippery Rock dropped to 1-1-1 and 0-1-0. 

"That was a good win for us." Gannon coach Colin Petersen said. "At times, Slippery Rock was the better team. They did outplay us in certain parts of the game. We're young, and the lack of experience kind of told in that our composure wasn't always there at times. But the character was there -- the hard work and the drive. So, hats off to our team. This was a really good win for us against a really tough opponent. ... I couldn't be happier with the girls."

Fails, a senior forward, scored at the 41:07 mark of the first half. After a Slippery Rock hand ball, senior forward Sammie Dales (Conneautville, Pa./Homeschool) booted her free kick over a wall of defenders toward the goal. Slippery Rock goalie Emma Yoder blocked the shot, but the ball bounded free in the left side of the box, where Fails broke free and booted it into the net for the lone goal of the game.

The assist marked the first collegiate point for Dales, who had not taken the field in a Gannon varsity match her first three seasons because of a series of injuries. Despite her misfortune, Dales has been a PSAC Scholar-Athlete in each of her three years.

Wednesday's game was played in a stiff wind, and in the first half Gannon went against the wind. Regardless, the Knights scored the only goal of the game in the first half, thanks to the free kick.

"We knew, against the wind, it was always going to be tough in the first half," Petersen said. "We knew we were going to be under pressure. They are a team that presses. ... I thought defensively in the first half, we were really, really good."

Gannon outshot Slippery Rock 7-3 and had three shots on goal to The Rock's two.  The Gannon defense played well in front of senior goalie Kennedy Solymosi (Eastlake, Ohio/Lake Catholic), who needed to make only two saves to earn the shutout.

As for the lone goal, "It was a good free kick, and Sarah was on top of it quickly," Petersen said. 

The win was the second in a row -- and second consecutive shutout -- for Gannon, which was coming off a 2-0 victory over the University of Charleston in West Virginia on Saturday.

The Golden Knights will return to the field on Saturday, Sept. 3, when they visit Indiana, Pa., in another PSAC West game.