BECKLEY, W.V. - Playing for the first time in two weeks, the Midway women's soccer team could be forgiven if its offense came out a bit sluggish in its conference opener.

The way the Eagles ultimately shook off that rust made how things ended Thursday all the more thrilling.

Just 39 seconds from playing to a scoreless tie, Haylee Applegate lofted a perfect pass to a cutting Anna Kneisley, who put in a header, as an elated Eagle team celebrated a 1-0 win over West Virginia Tech in each team's first River States Conference game of the season.

As has been the case throughout the Eagles' 3-0 start, the defense held strong throughout, limiting the Bears to just four shots on goal.

For the second straight game, Caylee Thompson and Yasmeen Shalash alternated at the keeper position. Shalash got her first start of the year, while Thompson has yet to allow a goal in four halves of play.

That paved the way for the heroics of Kneisley, a freshman who picked the perfect time to score her first collegiate goal after Applegate hit her right in stride through traffic.

The Eagle continue their best start since opening the 2019 season 4-0. They also earned a second consecutive win over the Bears after going winless in eight previous matchups in the series.

Midway, which prior to Thursday hadn't played since Sept. 7, now has another week off before it can try to extend its perfect start, when it travels to face Rio Grande (Ohio) in RSC play on Sept. 28.