The sun made a brief appearance at the conclusion of the girls soccer opener against Nazareth, putting a warm glow on a league win that gets them off on the right foot.

The Zephyrs defeated the Blue Eagles 2-0 on a damp and dreary Saturday morning at Andrew S. Leh Stadium. The last time these two teams met at this facility, a torrential downpour turned the field into a lake. This time there were no puddles to contend with, but the Eagles had a tough time dealing with Whitehall’s relentless attack, especially in the second half.

The Zephyrs kept pressing the action in the second period, and their tenacity was rewarded when Kate Bonshak rifled a shot past Blue Eagle goalkeeper at the 8:10 minute mark.

Bonshak’s goal gave the Zephs a 2-0 lead, and that’s how the game ended as they blanked their Eastern Pennsylvania Conference rivals to start the season at 1-0.

Bonshak, who’s concentrating on just soccer this fall, said that they were really exited about the win. It’s a welcome departure from the inconsistency they were experiencing during preseason.

“All preseason we’ve had practices where we’re up, and practices where we’re down, and we were struggling a little bit,” said Bonshak. “I felt like this game showed our true playing ability.”

The junior forward said that assessment held true for everyone on the field. Everyone contributed to the win.

“I’m really proud of this team,” said Bonshak. “I think each individual person did their own part to help out with the win.”

Their defense played a big part in the victory. The Blue Eagles had a few scoring chances in the second half, but goalkeeper Grace Clary turned away every shot she faced to keep the Eagles off the board. In one save she collided with both an opposing player and her own defender, as she took the ball off the foot of the Blue Eagle who was barreling down on her.

Bonshak said that in the first half the action was back and forth as both teams struggled to get any offensive consistency. She said that they picked it up in the second half as they progressively began to get better shots. And when the Eagles tried to maneuver into the offensive zone, Whitehall gave them little opportunity to set anything up.

“Even when the ball was back, we were able to get it right back up,” said Bonshak.

The Zephyrs scored their first goal off a corner kick as Hope Millets drove it home to stake them to the 1-0 lead. Bonshak said that the incoming corner came toward her, allowing her to head the ball to Millets for the game winner.

Bonshak scored her first goal of the season on a pass from Alyssa Marsteller who cut wide and then found #5 who was being closely marked.

“I had the defender on my back, and I kind of just cut it to my left side, and when I turned I just shot it,” said Bonshak.

Bonshak can score with any foot and really doesn’t favor one or the other. However, she said she sprained her left ankle which caused her to miss about a week-and-a-half of the preseason. That impacted her ability to use that foot, but the junior said that’s all behind her now.

The Zephyrs continue EPC action with games against Northampton and Allentown Central Catholic this week.