BRYN ATHYN, Pa. — Alexis Jones scored from the top of the circle in the 42nd minute to give Sweet Briar its first victory of the 2019 season, as Sweet Briar defeated Bryn Athyn 2-1 at General Nelson Field on Sunday afternoon.
 
"They learned to play as a team and learned to play for the team this weekend," said head coach Hannah Lott. "That was solidified today as we learned to win today."
 
The games' opening goal came off the stick of Bryn Athyn's (0-3) Brittany Gunther in the fifth minute thanks to a Chantal Farmer assist. The 1-0 lead managed to survive a Sweet Briar (1-4) attack in the back half of the opening period, which featured shots from sophomore Maggie Groetsch (Asheville, N.C.) and Jones (Suffolk, Va.) turned away by Lions goalkeeper Kailey Brower.
 
The second period saw the momentum tilt toward Sweet Briar with the Vixens firing off five shots in the opening three minutes. During a barrage of shots from first-year Colleen Goodly (Yorktown, Va.), a rebound was put back into the goal by first-year Rae Rae Dillon (Hopewell, Va.). The goal in the 18th minute was the first of Dillon's collegiate career.
 
"Rae Rae opened the flood gates for us to move forward as a team and to start moving toward more success," Lott said.
 
Following the halftime break, Sweet Briar and Bryn Athyn returned to the field with the Vixens looking for their first comeback victory since a 3-2 victory over Saint Vincent on September 12, 2010.
 
Sweet Briar continued to pepper the Lions' goal out of the break, taking seven shots over the opening 10 minutes of the second half. It was not until the 42nd minute of play that the Vixens' eighth shot of the half found the back of the goal, as Jones scored from the top of the circle to give Sweet Briar a 2-1 lead.
 
The Vixens looked to hold onto their lead heading into the final 15 minutes of play, and saw that lead threatened in the 51st minute when Eve Miller placed a shot toward goal that required first-year Ciara Kocik (Mechanicsville, Va.) to dive in front of the shot to stop the potential game-tying goal.
 
"Ciara sacrificed her body for the team today with that defensive play," Lott added.
 
 Miller's shot was the final shot on the day for the Lions and allowed Sweet Briar to secure a 2-1 come from behind victory over host Bryn Athyn.
 
Sweet Briar outshot Bryn Athyn 23-13 on the day, including a 15-11 advantage in shots on goal.
 
Goodly and Jones led Sweet Briar with five shots each, Goodly placed a game-high four shots on frame.
 
On the defensive end, junior Rosemary Austin (Commerce Township, Mich.) made six saves, while sophomore Janie Bolling (Hereford, Md.) made four saves in a relief appearance.
 
Sweet Briar returns home for its next two games, first hosting Hood on September 21 for a noon start at Thayer Field.