SPOKANE, Wash. - An early second-half goal proved to be the difference as Saint Benedict handed Whitworth its first loss of the season, 1-0, on the second day of the Whitworth Soccer Classic on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Soccer Field.

Saint Benedict forward Alyssa Hoffman put away a loose ball in the 50th minute during a scramble in the box, after her first shot attempt was saved by Whitworth goalkeeper Sienna Tanner. The second-effort goal proved to be key in a match that was controlled by the defenses for much of the contest.

The Blazers had a 12-7 advantage in shot attempts and took eight corner kicks compared with two for the Pirates. Tanner made three saves on the day while the Blazers limited offensive opportunities for Whitworth. Saint Benedict goalkeeper Megan Favorite needed just one save in the shutout effort.

Whitworth allowed only one goal over 200 minutes of action but was unable to find the back of the net offensively during the weekend. Head coach Jael Hagerott spoke to how the opening weekend of play will help the Pirates going forward.

"It gives us a good idea of things we need to work on -- areas that we need to address on the field," Hagerott said. "We play back-to-back (matches) in season and so this is a toughening process for us."

Whitworth concluded the event with a draw and loss. UC Santa Cruz was the lone team without a loss on the weekend, tying Whitworth on Friday and defeating Whitman on Saturday.

The Pirates will get further experience against non-conference competition as they travel to Texas next weekend for matches against Southwestern and Mary Hardin-Baylor. Whitworth opens its Northwest Conference schedule on Sept. 13 with a match at Whitman.

UC Santa Cruz 2, Whitman 1

UC Santa Cruz overcame an early deficit and answered with two first-half goals on its way to a 2-1 win over Whitman on Saturday afternoon at the Whitworth Soccer Classic on Omache Field.

Emma Onstad-Hawes gave the Missionaries an early lead with a goal in the 7th minute before the Banana Slugs responded as Sara Sadler scored an equalizer in the 17th minute. Taylor Keenan scored what proved to be the match-winner on a crossing pass that was mishandled by the keeper and went into the goal.

UC Santa Cruz held a 14-11 shot advantage and a 6-5 edge on corner kicks.

Haley Case made six saves for Whitman while and Gabby Trujillo recorded two saves for the Banana Slugs.

The Missionaries, who had a small roster and played only their starting 11 players in each match, finished 1-1 after topping Saint Benedict on Friday. UC Santa Cruz concluded the weekend a 1-0-1, following a draw with Whitworth on Friday.