A goal by Kendahl Fischer in the 75th minute lifted Southwest Minnesota State University over Fort Hays for a 1-0 victory in their season opener.

The Mustangs took until the 75th minute to get a chance for a goal as junior midfielder Alex Pantze’s header was grabbed by a Fort Hays goalkeeper. Not even a minute later, sophomore midfielder Megan Kilroy found sophomore forward Kendahl Fischer, who hit the bottom corner of the net to score SMSU’s first goal of the game, as well as the season. Fischer’s goal would also become the game-winning goal. With 15 minutes of play left on the clock, freshman goalkeeper Brianna Dehkes, as well as the Mustang defense, recorded the first shutout and victory of the season. This game marked Dehkes’ first career start in goalkeeping and collected eight saves during the game.

Fort Hays finished the game with 11 shots, none of which found the back of the net. The SMSU Mustangs have now won two consecutive season openers, defeating Nebraska-Kearney 3-0 at home to kick off the 2012 season. This marks the first time the Mustangs have won two consecutive season openers.