On the first day of the season for three American Athletic Conference women's soccer programs, No. 22 Memphis and Houston earned wins.

February 4 results:
No. 22 Memphis 3, UAB 0 - Box Score
Houston 3, Houston Baptist 1 - Box Score
ODU 1, East Carolina 0 - Box Score

No. 22 Memphis 3, UAB 0 - Box Score

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After nearly 450 days away from the pitch, the 2021 spring season opener was well worth the wait for Memphis women's soccer, as the Tigers registered a 3-0 victory against UAB Thursday night at Park Avenue Campus.
 
No. 22 Memphis picked up its seventh consecutive win in the series against the Blazers and etched its eighth straight season-opening victory. The Tigers also registered their fourth straight shutout to open a season.
 
Despite the slow start, the Tigers struck first when senior Lisa Pechersky tucked the season's opening score on the right side of an open net in the 26^th minute. Memphis then extended its advantage just before halftime when freshman Grace Stordy cleaned up a loose ball in front of the net for her first career goal.
 
A quartet of Memphis freshmen earned their first caps in Blue and Gray Thursday. Along with Stordy, Lara Kazandjian, Haylee Spray and Stella Downing logged 300 combined minutes of action.
 
Coming out of the break, the Tigers increased their lead to 3-0 when junior Tanya Boychuk settled a shot in the back of the net in the 48^th minute. It marked the second time Boychuk scored in a season-opener after netting two goals against Little Rock in 2019.
 
Memphis totaled 11 shots throughout the night, with eight coming on goal.
 
Defensively, Memphis limited UAB to three total shots, with senior goalkeeper Elizabeth Moberg stopping the Blazers' lone attempt on target.
 
Moberg tallied her 38^th career win between the posts and added her 28^th shutout of her career.
 
The Tigers will open conference play with a road trip to Cincinnati on Feb. 14. First kick against the Bearcats is set for 5 p.m.  

Houston 3, Houston Baptist 1 - Box Score

HOUSTON – Behind three goals scored in the first half, the University of Houston Soccer team won its season-opener in a 3-1 victory over Houston Baptist on Thursday night inside the Carl Lewis International Complex.
 
The Cougars (1-0) saw a well-balanced attack on offense, with four different people recording multiple shots on the night. In total, Houston outshot the Huskies (0-1-1) 14-3, having also recorded more corner kicks (6-1).
 
Houston wasted no time making it presence felt early, as a goal from redshirt junior forward Zionah Browne in the sixth minute quickly put the Cougars ahead, 1-0. Just more than 12 minutes later, senior midfielder Mia Brascia netted a goal of her own off an assist from Browne.
 
As time winded down in the first half, junior midfielder Reid Morrison used a cross from freshman forward Maddie Bowers to find the back of the net and give Houston a 3-0 lead in the 42^nd minute. HBU immediately responded with its lone goal of the game before the conclusion of the opening 45 minutes.
 
The second half saw the Cougars maintain their two-goal lead by limiting the Huskies to just one shot in the frame with stifling defense in route to the 3-1 win.

ODU 1, East Carolina 0 - Box Score

NORFOLK, Va. – East Carolina battled Old Dominion to a scoreless deadlock for most of its season opener Thursday evening, but the Monarchs tallied the game's only goal in the final 20 minutes to come away with a 1-0 non-conference victory at the ODU Soccer Complex.
 
The Monarchs (1-0) outshot the Pirates (0-1) by a 7-2 margin and enjoyed a 4-3 advantage in corners. ECU committed 11 fouls to ODU's six and did not force Monarch goalkeeper Kasey Perry into making a save.

Pirate keeper Maeve English notched three saves in her collegiate debut. Morgan Hall paced Old Dominion with a contest-high three shots (one on goal).

The match got off to a slow start as Old Dominion recorded the first shot by either squad almost 13 minutes into the proceedings. English was up to the task though, eventually saving both of the Monarchs' attempts to keep it scoreless at the halftime interval. East Carolina was unable to muster a look on net as the squads combined for 11 fouls in a rather uneventful first 45 minutes.
 
Tori Riggs created the Pirates' first shot of the night about six minutes into the second half, but it was blocked. Catherine Holbrook's attempt at the 63:02 mark was also blocked away.

ODU took the lead in the 72nd minute when Emily Garrick took a pass from Yuliia Khrystiuk and slotted the ball past English. That would be enough for the Monarchs to see out the remainder of the clock without allowing ECU a look on goal.