WALLA WALLA, Wash.  Suddenly, as if from still and cloudless skies, Whitman's drought ended.

It was a deluge, not a drizzle.

Sophie Brussell had a goal and an assist in her first match back from injury as the Blues quadrupled the scoring output from their first four matches and dispatched Lewis and Clark 4-2 in the Northwest Conference women's soccer opener for both teams at Whitman Athletic Fields on Saturday afternoon.

Whitman (1-4, 1-0 in NWC) had been outscored 8-1 in their early non-conference games and mustered just seven shots on goal. The Blues put heads to pillows Saturday night tied for first place.

"Our movement off the ball was much better," said sophomore Sofia Ellington, who entered the match as the only Whitman player with a goal scored and finished it with another. "We're flowing together. We finally hit our stride."

Stride? Strut? Sprint? Stampede? Various superlatives were warranted after Saturday's romp, in which the Blues were frankly unlucky not to have scored five or six times. Brussell started the fun 20 minutes into the first half, answering an early Pioneers goal by collecting a sizzling cross from

Olivia Thomson and banging it home. Ellington had spilled the ball into the corner after juking a pair of Lewis and Clark defenders. Thomson had broken free for what seemed the dozenth time; by the midway point of the opening half, the fleet-footed senior had annexed the entire right flank, making run after incisive run.

That complex, eloquent collaboration became commonplace after halftime. Thomson found Brussell sprinting into the area with a luscious cross, and Brussell was fouled by the Lewis and Clark goalkeeper, earning a penalty kick. Junior Renee van Bergeijk buried it for a 2-1 lead.

A mere 37 seconds later, sophomore Jessie Mano fed Susanna Williams for a goal and 3-1 lead.

After the Pios pulled one back at the 73-minute mark, Ellington pounced on some insurance. Her goal, assisted by Brussell and Rylee Neville, made it 4-2, Blues.

Ellington nearly added another on van Bergeijk's seeing-eye cross.

Whitman finished with eight shots on frame -- one better than their entire preseason output.

"We've all been really frustrated with our performance. We had great competitiveness in practice this week," Ellington said. "We were playing more game-like in practice.

"Today, we felt more connected," she added. "We're starting to feel more like a family."

Whitman head coach Laura Williamson noted that Saturday's match marked the first time this season that the Blues fielded a healthy roster.

"Today was the fullest-strength we've been all year, and we played with continued freshness," she said. "We've continued to trust our first-years and sophomores. Even though we were not clicking the first few weeks, we built confidence."

"We're starting to see things better and play the right ball at the right time," added Brussell.

Courtney Schmidt and Kennie Beighle had goals for Lewis and Clark (1-3-1, 0-1).

The Blues host Willamette at 12 p.m. on Sunday.