SANTA CRUZ, Calif.  Whitman College's women's soccer team took to the road for its season opener, heading south into California to play Chapman University at the UC Santa Cruz Slugfest in a non-conference match-up Saturday afternoon. The Blues peppered the Panthers frame in the early going but Chapman made a goal in the 33rd minute stand up for a 1-0 victory over Whitman.

Sofia Ellington got off a shot for Whitman (0-1) early in the 13th minute that was blocked, but within a minute Eliza Van Wetter gained possession with a shot that skipped past the Chapman (2-0) goalkeeper only to be swept away near the goal line by a Panther defender.

Van Wetter got off another shot early in the 14th, wide of the mark, and Ellington got one on frame in the 28th that was stopped by Chapman goalie Maeve O'Connor.

All that momentum slipped the other direction five minutes later, though, as Chapman's Elly Aronson took a feed from teammate Emily Holbrook to sneak one past Whitman netminder Allie Seracuse -- who had made a pair of saves up to that point -- for what would become the game-winner.

A defensive-minded Chapman squad severely limited the Whitman attack in the second half to hang on to their precarious lead for its second win of the Slugfest.

Seracuse finished with three saves in her 45 minutes between the pipes, giving way at the intermission to Bryanna Schreiber who came up with six stops in the second half to keep Whitman within one foot-strike of a draw.

Whitman continues its appearance at the Slugfest with a Sunday morning contest against the hosts, who were defeated by Chapman, 4-1, on Friday.