ELLENSBURG, WA - That's a pretty solid first impression.

The 2016 edition of the SFU Clan women's soccer team (3-1-1, 1-0) opened GNAC play with authority on Thursday afternoon, claiming a 2-0 win over the Central Washington Wildcats (5-2-0, 0-1) in Ellensburg, WA.

"I thought we played well from the start, which was important for us to get into a good rhythm," noted SFU head coach Annie Hamel. "We stayed with the game plan and generated a lot of numbers forward and defended well."

After a scoreless first half, freshman forward Emma Pringle continued her torrid pace with an early second-half tally for the Clan, while team captain Olivia Aguiar sealed the result with her first goal of the season in the game's later stages.

The opening 45 minutes were dictated by continuous offensive pressure from the Wildcats, as SFU goalkeeper Priya Sandhu and the terrific SFU backline were put to the test. Despite a considerable possession advantage for the wildcats, excellent gap control from the Clan defense allowed them to escape with just three shots surrendered.

"I thought they were very solid," said Hamel of her defense. "The whole back line, including Priya. They won their one-on-one battles and negated the way Central is comfortable playing. We had a game plan and they executed it very well."

SFU managed four shots on the Wildcats' freshman keeper Emily Holt in the opening stanza, though outside of a fleeting few chances, none threated to break the scoreless deadlock.

Just a minute into the second half, Pringle changed that, taking a beautiful long ball down the left flank from midfielder Katelyn Erhardsen, and with a teammate streaking down the other side serving as a distraction, beat Holt clean from 15 yards out. The marker continues Pringle's unbelievable run early in her debut campaign, as it makes for the freshman's fourth goal of the season.

Midfielder Jenna Baxter nearly put the Clan up 2-0 just minutes later, but her free kick attempt rattled off the Central Washington crossbar.

There was a scary moment for SFU with just over 20 minutes remaining, as Baxter was taken down to the ground on a strong tackle from Wildcats midfielder Meghan Ward. Fortunately for the Clan, the sophomore returned shortly, looking no worse for wear.

Soon after, a mishit goal kick from Holt sparked the Clan's 2-0 goal, as Aguilar read the play well and raced onto the loose ball. The senior then showed some terrific composure in tight, beating her defender and slotting one in towards the left post, putting the Clan up for good with 15 minutes left.

Sandhu put the exclamation mark on her clean sheet with two minutes remaining in the contest, as Central Washington's Mackenzie Nolte made an attempt on goal from inside the box on the left side. The SFU netminder dove out extending her right hand to knock the ball out of play.

The Clan will now make their way home, as they prepare to take on the Western Washington Vikings this Saturday, September 24. The two teams are set to kick off at 4:30 pm on SFU's Terry Fox Field.