WASHINGTON, D.C — The Catholic University women's soccer team earned its first win of the season behind a strong performance that saw the Cardinals put three past Stevenson in the first half.

Catholic came out of the gates with energy and were able to find the breakthrough in the 12th minute. Junior Lauren Cerda was first to react to a loose ball in the penalty area and dispatched a volley past Mustang goalkeeper Courtney Wysokowski, who was helpless after the initial shot was blocked by a defender.

Junior forward Jordan Siok had looked lively going forward during Catholic's first two matches, and built on that with a stellar performance tonight. In the 17th minute, she produced a low cross from the left that was turned in by Isabella DeAvila to double the Cardinal advantage.

After Stevenson sliced the lead in half through Kamille Purcell, Siok pulled out the tricks to restore Catholic's two-goal advantage. After receiving the ball on the left side of the penalty area, she danced past two defenders before picking out the far corner with a curled strike, capping off a stunning solo goal.

The Mustangs produced a quality response after halftime, pushing hard to get back in the game. They scored to make it 3-2 just six minutes into the second half when Samantha Wilson slotted it calmly after a through ball from Purcell.

Stevenson thought they had grabbed an equalizer eight minutes from full-time, if not for some heroic defending from Catholic. The Cardinals were able to jump in front of two close-range efforts from Michelle Mesquita following a corner, the second of which was cleared off of the goalline by Sara Placide.

Catholic looked potent on the attack all night, outshooting Stevenson 28-7 and putting 12 of those shots on target. Siok led the team with six shots, while Isabel Doherty, Alexa Adelmann, and Liz Gorman each took on four strikes.

Freshman Ava Rieger earned the first win of her career between the sticks after her memorable debut on Saturday.

The Cardinals look to build on this victory when they return to the field on Saturday to conclude a three-game homestand. Catholic will welcome Muhlenberg to Carlini Field for a 1 p.m. kickoff.