ATHENS, Tenn. – Mutaya Mwape's 57th-minute strike was enough to lift the No. 23-ranked Lindsey Wilson men's soccer team to a season-opening 1-0 victory over Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday afternoon.

Mwape, the Blue Raiders' (1-0-0) top-returning scorer from 2016, picked up where he left off as the sophomore from Lusaka, Zambia slotted home his 12th-career goal in the second half. From there, Lindsey Wilson continued to control play as they did earlier in the game and did not allow the Bulldogs (0-1-0) to get a shot off during the final 35 minutes of play.

Lindsey Wilson peppered the Tennessee Wesleyan frame throughout the contest, outshooting the hosts 12-2 in total shots including a 5-0 advantage in shots on goal, but managed to reach the back of the net just once. The Bulldogs recorded just a single shot in each half.

Mwape nearly broke the deadlock in the waning moments of the opening half, but his shot clipped off the crossbar in the 40th minute as the game went to halftime scoreless. He led all Blue Raiders with two shots on goal while Brian Richards, Renan Ramos and newcomer Karim Jouini each recorded a shot on target, forcing the Bulldog keeper into four saves.

Blue Raider goalkeeper William Diaz did not face a shot while picking up his first clean sheet of the season.

Lindsey Wilson returns to action on Sept. 2 for a top-25 matchup on the road against No. 12 Thomas (Ga.), followed by a Sept. 3 meeting against Saint Thomas (Fla.), who is receiving votes in the top-25 poll.