SEASIDE, Calif. — While much soccer remains to be played, the Laura VanWart era of Cal State Monterey Bay women's soccer began with a flying start as the Otters rolled past Saint Martin's University 6–1 Thursday afternoon at the Otter Sports Complex. The match was the season opener for both teams.

It took the Otters less than eight minutes to break the seal when Sahana Bojorquez (Huntington Beach/Spring Valley HS) tucked a beauty just under the cross bar from the top of the box. SMU's Brittany Orlosky nearly equalized eight minutes later when her curling shot from 30 yards glanced off the upper right vee.

The woodwork proved more kind to the Otters in the waning minutes of the first half when Middle Tennessee State transfer Haley Nishimoto's (Bishop O'Dowd HS) shot off a far–post cross glanced off the right post and in to give CSUMB a 2–0 lead at the interval.

Madison Aguirre (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde HS) put Saints behind the eight ball by turning a well–crafted Bojorquez through ball into a partial breakaway in the 51st minute. Aguirre's professional finish gave SMU keeper Sarah Christensen no chance.  

---

THE GAME WAS OVER WHEN… Haley Nishimoto pounced on the rebound of an Ashlee Cortez penalty to make it 4–0 Otters in the 62nd minute.

A 6–PACK OF SCORING… The Otters scored six goals in a match for the first time in 241 matches as an NCAA Division II program. The six markers represent CSUMB's highest output since scoring six in an NAIA level 6–2 win over Holy Names University on Oct. 21, 2003.

FOR THE RECORD… The all–time Otter record for goals in a match is 11, set twice, last in an 11–0 win over Mills College on Oct. 7, 2003.

HALFWAY THERE… Thursday's six goals get CSUMB halfway to its goal total for all of 2016. The Otters scored just 12 total goals in 17 matches last season.

FOR OPENERS… The Otters won their season opener for the third consecutive season and for the sixth time in the last eight seasons.

STAT PACK… CSUMB SCORING: Sahana Bojorquez (1) (7:19 from Madison Aguirre); Haley Nishimoto (1,2) (38:14 from Madison Aguirre; 61:09 from Jenna Viss); Madison Aguirre (1) (50:51 from Sahana Bojorquez); Karlee Neer (1) (84:59 from Ashlee Cortez, Miranda Rudolph); Ashlee Cortez (1) (85:14 from Alexis Hand). SHOTS: CSUMB 22, SMU 9. SAVES: CSUMB 3 (Alyssa Noh 3, Victoria Whyte 0); SMU 7 (Sarah Christensen).

THE LAST WORD… "I was very proud of the girls. One of our goals coming into the game was to balance our possesion with being dangerous when it was time to go forward and I think they did that brilliantly." – CSUMB Head Coach Laura VanWart

THEY'VE GOT NEXT… The Otters head south on U.S. 101 to take on traditional NAIA power Westmont College Saturday (Sept. 2) at 2:30 p.m.