PAINESVILLE, OHIO — The regular season started out just as the preseason did for the Bellarmine University women's soccer team.

Mary Beth Gorham scored in the third minute and Erika Laws took all of 54 seconds to notch the first goal of her collegiate career as the visiting Knights rolled to a 3-0 victory over Lake Erie on Friday at Slattery Field.

Bellarmine (1-0) has won both its season openers under second-year coach Chris Tinius, whose squad is the preseason favorite to win the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Sophomore forward Katie Fernandez tacked on the Knights' third goal and added an assist.

After scoring in the third minute in Bellarmine's preseason opener, Gorham duplicated the feat against Lake Erie (0-1) off an assist from Fernandez. Gorham would later reciprocate, setting Fernandez up for the last score.

"It was a good start, but we certainly have a lot to improve on," Tinius said. "We got off to another fast start with Katie finding Mary Beth and then bookended it with MB returning the favor at the end of the game."

The goal marked the 24th of Gorham's career, moving her into a tie for third with Allison Truttman on the program's all-time list. By posting an assist, the junior forward is now third in career points with 55.

Laws scored the first collegiate goal of her career in the 21st minute. The freshman had entered less than a minute earlier and put away the shot off an assist from junior midfielder Lauren Holder.

"The highlight of the day was probably Erika Laws," Tinius said. "Her first touch in an official college game was a goal. That must be a cool experience, because I certainly don't know what that's like."

Bellarmine took that 2-0 lead into halftime. The Storm managed to keep the Knights out of the net for much of the second half despite plenty of chances, but Fernandez wouldn't be denied in the 81st minute.

"The third goal was huge because it allowed us to try and keep a few people fresher for a tough opponent (Ursuline) on Sunday," Tinius said.

Hannah Poteet recorded the 13th shutout of her career. The junior goalkeeper faced five shots and collected two saves.

Meanwhile, Bellarmine kept Marissa Brannon busy. The Lake Erie keeper notched seven saves as the Knights piled up 20 shots, including 10 on goal.

"Lake Erie was pretty solid defensively," Tinius said. "I thought (midfielder) Emily Elkins was very good for them. They looked dangerous on the counter in the first half. I thought in the second half we did much better keeping possession while also staying organized and killing their counter."

Bellarmine plays at noon (ET) Sunday at Ursuline (Ohio) College.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).

BOX SCORE (HTM)