DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Fighting Camels opened the 2016 regular season with a thrilling overtime win, 1-0, over the Davidson Wildcats on Friday night at Alumni Stadium in Davidson, N.C.

The game-winning goal came from senior Allie Hopkins, who tapped the ball in after a perfectly placed corner kick from senior midfielder Christine Kindt. It was Hopkins' first-career goal scored for the Orange and Black.

"Allie understands what it means to fight to the final whistle," said head coach Stuart Horne. "It's something we constantly talk about with our team, and she proved why we preach it. The way the team performed tonight on and off the field encompassed that. For her, a senior leader on the team, to get the game winning golden goal in the season opener is pretty special. 

With the win, Campbell's record versus Davidson now stands at 2-3-1. This is the first time the Camels have won against the Wildcats since 1993, the program's second year in existence.

The Camels saw strong performances from the freshman class, particularly in goalkeeper Natalya Marcove and forward Rosie O'Neal. Marcove recorded three saves, all in the second half, en route to her first-career solo shutout. She is the first freshman goalkeeper to record a solo shutout for Campbell since Alexis Connors did so in 2012. O'Neal cracked the starting lineup for her first collegiate game, and impressed the coaching staff on opening night.

"All of our newcomers that we played tonight performed very well against a good Davidson team," Horne said. "Rosie started the game very strong and then took it to another level to finish it out and help secure the team win. Natalya was very solid in net throughout the whole game to help with the shutout and help preserve the win."

Campbell did have a few opportunities to take the lead in regulation. Campbell's closest chance came on a penalty kick from Nicole Connolly in the 76th minute, but the Davidson keeper was able to make the diving save. Prior to her heroic game-winner, Hopkins launched a shot from long range off a free kick in the 68th minute, but Davidson's goalie was able to reel it in.

In the first half, the Camels had several close chances with shots from Payton Ormsby, Kine Thorsvik and Nicole Connolly. Marcove had a great presence in goal, with a point-blank block coming in the fifth minute of action. Marcove was also able to pounce on the ball to prevent a potential Wildcat goal off of their first corner kick.

Up next, the Camels will face a quick turnaround as they take on the American Eagles at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 21 at Eakes Athletic Complex for the regular season home-opener. For the most up-to-date information on Campbell Women's Soccer, follow @GoCamelsWSOC on Twitter.