Despite a goal by sophomore Joya Smith, from Nassau, Bahamas, the Northeastern A&M Norse suffered a 4-1 loss Friday in their season opener on the synthetic turf of Robertson Field against the Panthers of Neosho County (Kan.) Community College.


"We were missing three of our key players due to injuries and that forced us to play people out of position," Norse head coach Lisa Bell said. "When you have to do that, you're naturally going to have a few breakdowns which proved costly to us."
Smith's goal at the 12:14 mark of the first half created a brief 1-0 lead for the Norse.
The Panthers responded with a goal by veteran forward Enyi Rosa at the 15-minute juncture to create a 1-1 tie and halftime.
Goals by Diana Ramirez, Mercedes McGuire and Courtney Felden closed out the scoring for Neosho County in the second half.
NEO remains at home on Sunday with a 2 p.m. match against Allen Community College of Iola, Kan., on Robertson Field.