ADAM SAMROV

Sports Editor

MANCHESTER -- Every team hopes for a fast start in the first game of the season -- a chance to get rid of the butterflies.

The Burr and Burton Academy girls soccer team did just that as Emma Hallett scored less than eight minutes into the contest against Woodstock as part of a 2-0 win on a gray Tuesday afternoon.

"We did a good job getting the first touch and moving toward the goal," said BBA (1-0) coach Dan DeForest.

In the eighth minute, Hallett got a through ball, dribbled between two Woodstock defenders and fired a shot on goal that sizzled past Wasps (0-1) goalie Lizzy Miller for a 1-0 lead.

"Low shots are hard to stop and she's such a competitor," DeForest said. "She definitely earned that first goal [of the season]."

Miller kept the Wasps in the game in net, turning away chance after chance from the BBA strikers. She made 19 saves on 21 shots.

"Her communication is great," said Woodstock coach Greg LaBella. "She plays strong in the air, so we wanted to play tough defense and keep the shots coming from the outside so she could catch it."

The Bulldogs broke through again in the 31st minute, when senior captain Cara Corvino fed the ball to junior forward Katy Jones, who blasted inside and beat Miller near post.

"We were able to take a breath after that goal," DeForest said. "Up one, anything can happen, but two is trickier to overcome."

Despite the two-goal halftime advantage, the Bulldogs couldn't pull away with Miller in net. The senior stopped a point blank shot halfway through the second that would have effectively ended it.

Woodstock made a run late in the second half, but the BBA defense and goalie Joanna Jorgenen snuffed out the pressure for the clean sheet. Jorgenen made two saves on the afternoon.

"This was a coming-of-age game for us," said LaBella, who has nine freshman on his roster. "They didn't quit and had a good attack in the second half. I'm proud of their progress."