CANONSBURG, Pa. - The Robert Morris University women's soccer team dropped its home opener by a final score of 5-1 against the visiting Milwaukee Panthers at SouthPointe Field House Wednesday afternoon. 

The loss moves RMU to 0-1 (0-1 Horizon League) on the season. 

Despite a lop-sided final score, the Colonials gained valuable playing experience against the five-time regular season defending champion Panthers Wednesday in what was their first game action in 460 days and the first of head coach Chris Shaw's tenure with the program. 

"For us, we knew it was going to be a lot of learning today," Shaw said.  "I'd never seen any of these girls compete in a game, so you have practice players and gamers and today we started to find out who our gamers are." 

Milwaukee opened the scoring in the 7' and would add three more for a commanding 4-0 lead before the opening 45 minutes were up. 

Still, the Colonials continued to work, especially in midfield where they made life as tough as possible on an extremely efficient Panthers attack. 

"They're very athletic and well coached," Shaw said.  "When you have a system built up and established the way Troy has, it's easier to bring in five or six new freshman and acclimate them to the team as opposed to taking 18 girls and teaching them a whole new system." 

After a fifth goal for the Panthers in the 77', Sheridan Reid finally broke the ice for RMU and got the Colonials on the board, letting go of a long, looping strike that sailed over the head of UW keeper Elaina LaMacchia and into the far corner for her first of the season. 

For RMU, building off that lone goal and the lessons learned against the league's best team will give them plenty to work on between now and next weekend's game against Northern Kentucky.

"We're going to learn from today, and we're going to get better," Shaw said.  "The result wasn't what we wanted, the scoreline wasn't what we wanted, but there's still a lot of positives that can be taken from this."