Score: Salem 9, Regent 0

Records: Salem (1-0-0) / Regent (0-1-0)

NORFOLK, Va.— The Salem soccer team picked up its seventh season-opening win in program history on Saturday, September 3rd, when the Spirits claimed at 9-0 victory over Regent in Norfolk, Va. The duo of Ashley Linden and Darilyn Nieto notched two goals each for the Spirits, becoming the 16th set of teammates to score multiple goals for the Salem in a match in program history and first since Sept. 1, 2021.

Salem received one goal each from Nathaly Berrezueta, Layla Locklear, Cristina Battistini, Olivia Nivens and Alyson Gammons scored one goal each.

Salem senior goalkeeper Jordan Tomberlin anchored the defensive attack by making two saves, while her teammates limited Regent to two shots, both on goal. It marks the fifth time in program history that Salem has opened the season with a shutout and first time since 2013 and 2014, when the Spirits downed N.C. Wesleyan (3-0) and Greensboro (12-0), that two season openers resulted in shutouts. Last season, Salem came through with a 9-0 win over Warren Wilson.

Nieto drove home the first goal of her collegiate career in the fifth minute, providing Salem with a 1-0 lead. Just over nine minutes later, Nivens found Locklear for the second Spirits goal of the game. Nivens singlehandedly moved that margin to 3-0 for Salem in the 43rd minute, scoring the final first half goal of the match.

Gammons and Nieto teamed up for the fourth goal of the match for Salem, first of the second half, in the 46th minute. Linden kept the Spirits' offensive attack rolling six minutes later, stretching the margin to 5-0, with an unassisted strike of her own.

Gammons, a native of Ridgeway, Va., completed her trip to the Commonwealth with a goal of her own as Salem's lead grew to 6-0 in the 55th minute.

Linden delivered the seventh goal of the match for Salem, marking the first multi-goal match of her career, in the 64th minute when she worked her way past the Regent defense. First year teammates Berrezueta and Battistini netted the final two goals of the game for the Spirits in the final 10 minutes of action at the 83rd and 84th minute, respectively.

SALEM NOTES

• Salem head coach Robin Ramirez becomes the first coach since Jay Callahan (2008, 2009) to win the season-opening matches of each of his first two seasons. Callahan would win the first three season openers in his Salem coaching career, also winning the 2010 opener.
• Jordan Tomberlin has three solo shutouts and four combined shutouts in her Salem career.
• Linden and Nieto join a historical duo of multi-goal scorers in same match. The others include:
  
  

  Player	Opponent	Date	Goals
  Erica Edwards	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2010	2
  Tia Bringhurst	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2010	2
  Amanda Orsino	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2010	2
  Mackenzie Schmidt	William Peace	Sept. 21, 2010	2
  Courtney Hedgecock	William Peace	Sept. 21, 2010	2
  Anna Trakas	Wesleyan (Ga.)	Oct. 24, 2010	2
  Tia Bringhurst	Wesleyan (Ga.)	Oct. 24, 2010	2
  Amanda Orsino	Wesleyan (Ga.)	Oct. 24, 2010	2
  Amber Lee	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2012	2
  Sawyer Ferguson	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2012	2
  Sataj Johnson	William Peace	Sept. 4, 2012	2
  Taylor Norman	Trinity	Oct. 5, 2013	2
  Nataly Mojica	Trinity	Oct. 5, 2013	2
  Tarryn Johnson	Washington Adventist	Aug. 31, 2014	3
  Jordan Lanier	Washington Adventist	Aug. 31, 2014	2
  Brooke Bukas	Washington Adventist	Aug. 31, 2014	2
  Nataly Mojica	Agnes Scott	Oct. 4, 2014	2
  Tarryn Johnson	Agnes Scott	Oct. 4, 2014	2
  Jordan Lanier	Johnson	Oct. 20, 2014	2
  Taylor Norman	Johnson	Oct. 20, 2014	2
  Sydney Priest	Hollins	Sept. 6, 2015	2
  Tarryn Johnson	Hollins	Sept. 6, 2015	2
  Maddie Crumpton	Eastern Mennonite	Sept. 26, 2015	3
  Jordan Lanier	Eastern Mennonite	Sept. 26, 2015	2
  Maddie Crumpton	Wesleyan (Ga.)	Oct. 18, 2015	3
  Brooke Bukas	Wesleyan (Ga.)	Oct. 18, 2015	2
  Jordan Lanier	Trinity	Oct. 30, 2015	3
  Brooke Bukas	Trinity	Oct. 30, 2015	2
  Kimberlee Templeton	Mount Mary	Nov. 6, 2015	3
  Kayleigh Artise	Mount Mary	Nov. 6, 2015	2
  Shelby Alfaro	Mount Mary	Nov. 6, 2015	2
  Maddie Crumpton	LaGrange	Oct. 1, 2016	2
  Jordan Lanier	LaGrange	Oct. 1, 2016	2
  Chaniece Moss	LaGrange	Oct. 1, 2016	2
  Baylee Greenwood	Warren Wilson	Sept. 1, 2021	3
  Ellie Montes	Warren Wilson	Sept. 1, 2021	2
  Alyson Gammons	Warren Wilson	Sept. 1, 2021	2