RIVERSIDE, Calif. – One slip up at the end of the first half was the difference in Lady Argo soccer's season opening loss to La Sierra University. UP gave up the game's only goal in the 44th minute of the 1-0 loss despite a solid debut performance from redshirt-freshman Dakota Neumann.
 
It looked like UP could have been on its way to an exciting offensive performance are the first few minutes. Just under three minutes into the contest, freshman Bri Wikert got off the game's first shot but fired wide. Less than a minute later, junior Sydney Knieriem put her own effort towards the net and got the ball on frame for the game's first shot on goal.
 
As it turns out, Knieriem's early effort would be the only time LSU's goalie was forced to make a save.
 
After the first few minutes, La Sierra began to gather its defense but still didn't make much of an assault on the UP net till much later.  In the 22nd minute, the Golden Eagles earned their first of 4 corner kicks and in the ensuing scramble got their first shot on goal. That shot was saved by Neumann, playing in her first collegiate game.
 
La Sierra took more control of the game following that first corner kick. The Golden eagles earned two more corners in the next ten minutes and put an increasing amount of pressure on the UP net as the half wore on.
 
With just two minutes left in the first period, that assault broke through with a goal from LSU's Hanna Kanagawa in the 44th minute. Knieriem, who was UP's more productive offensive player, got one more look before halftime but pushed the shot wide.
 
In the second half, UP again started with the first shot, this time from sophomore Eme McLaughlin, but it was a relatively uneventful 45 minutes. LSU got off 4 shots in the period, while UP managed 3. None of those found the back of the net, and the game eventually ended with La Sierra ahead 1-0.
 
One of the big questions for the Lady Argos heading into the season was the goalkeeper position after the team's top two players on the depth chart in 2016 graduated. Neumann redshirted that year and clearly learned some important lessons that came in handy in her first game. She finished the contest with 6 saves in the 90 minutes.
 
Knieriem was by far the most active offensive player for the Lady Argos. She was the only UP player to have more than 1 shot in the game, finishing with 4 and she also accounted for the team's only shot on goal.
 
The Lady Argos will get another crack at getting their first win of the season exactly 24 hours after the start of La Sierra game. Game number two will be against Antelope Valley at 8 p.m. on Monday, September 4 in Lancaster, Calif.