CONWAY, S.C. – The Coastal Carolina women's soccer team kicked off the 2023 season with a bang, taking down the UNC Wilmington Seahawks 1-0 at the CCU Soccer Stadium on Thursday night.
 
Freshman Emily Petring's penalty goal gave Coastal the 1-0 win, which marked Jo Chubb's first collegiate win as a head coach.
 
The game-winning goal was the first tally of Petring's collegiate career.
 
Coastal was the aggressor straight off the opening kick, with Rami Rapp and Julia Ziegenfuss both taking shots in the opening 15 minutes of play. However, the Seahawks were first to put a shot on frame when Ayla Vaneus struck the ball low and at the center of the goal to force CCU goalkeeper Vivienne Carr to make the first save of the night.
 
UNCW tested the Chants again in the 34th minute with a central shot that landed in the safe hands of Carr.
 
At the end of the first half, UNCW led the Chants 5-3 in shots and had five fouls to Coastal's four.
 
The Chants took the lead in the 68th minute when UNCW's Kayla Burroughs took down Tamlyn Parkes in the box to give Coastal a penalty kick.
 
Petring stepped up to the spot and drilled the ball into the bottom right corner to give the Chants a 1-0 lead.
 
UNCW was not going down without a fight and put the pressure on the Chants for the remainder of the match, taking four shots with two on goal compared to Coastal's one shot over the final 20 minutes of play.
 
The Chants were able to hold off the Seahawks' attacking force in the last few minutes to pick up their first win of the season at 1-0.
 
CCU will next face Charlotte at the CCU Soccer Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on Aug. 24.
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's soccer, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalWSoccer (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at goccusports.com