Greenville, S.C. – Sophomores Jamie Alexander and Stephanie DeVita each scored goals as Furman claimed a 2-1 victory over Presbyterian before a crowd of 1,352 in its home opener on Friday night at Stone Stadium.

The win improved the Paladins to 1-1-0 on the season while PC slipped to 0-2-0.

"This was a good test for us," said Furman head coach Andrew Burr.  "It was our first home match.  Our players were excited and some were a little nervous so I'll call this a case of first game jitters.  Their goalkeeper played very well.  It was one of those games that felt like it could be 3-0 or 4-0 at halftime, but she made some great saves to keep them in it."

Alexander, a native Martinez, Ga., put the Paladins on top just 11:49 into the match as she headed in a cross from junior India Robinson.

Furman continued to pressure PC goalkeeper Sydney Fontenot in the first half as Robinson rattled the crossbar with a shot and Hannah Stanifer's effort from the top of the box was tipped onto the crossbar.  Dee Makris set up DeVita for a tap in late in the first half, but Fontenot was equal to the test once again as she smothered a goal-bound shot.

The Paladins finally netted their second goal with just 11:12 remaining in regulation.  Makris was played into space on the right side and slid a pass to the top of the six-yard box that DeVita finished for her first goal of the campaign.

Presbyterian halved the Paladin lead in the 82nd minute on a driving free kick from Stephanie Allen that found the opposite corner of the net from 25 yards out, but Furman's defense did not allow the Blue Hose to threaten again.

The Paladins managed a 24-6 shots advantage and compiled a 13-3 edge in shots on goal.

Sophomore Maggie Grisell recorded two saves in goal to earn the win while Fontenot finished with 11 stops.

Furman returns to action on Sunday when it travels to Athens, Ga., to face the Georgia Bulldogs.  Fans can log onto www.FurmanPaladins.com to hear Bryant Lambert and Sam Tooker call the action and to access live statistics of the match.  In-game updates will also be available on Twitter by following @FurmanWSoccer.