It took the Stetson Hatters about 15 minutes to find a groove on Thursday night at the ATC after an almost hour-long weather delay, but once they found their stride, the Hatters rolled.
 
Four different Hatters found the back of the net and the visiting Bulldogs chipped in with an own goal off a corner kick as Stetson took a 5-0 season-opening victory.
 
Junior Arianna Lombardi got things started when she scored on an assist from freshman Alexis Smith at the 15:05 mark. It was just four minutes later, at the 19:22 mark, when Smith scored her first collegiate goal. The Hatters pushed their lead to 3-0 at the 24:32 mark when junior Gaby Padilla scored on an assist from classmate Chloe Washington.
 
The Stetson lead grew to 4-0 at the 52:36 mark when a Hatters' corner kick was put into the Bulldogs goal by South Carolina State's Kayla Moses for an own goal.
 
The Hatters scored their final tally of the night at the 76:28 mark when sophomore Georgia Place converted her first goal of the year.
 
Overall, Stetson outshot visiting South Carolina State 27-4, with the Hatters' five goals coming on 11 shots on goal.
 
Sophomore keeper Sarah Grimmett went the distance for the shutout victory. It was her fourth career shutout in just eight career starts.
 
Hatters coach Chris Bergmann, now in his fourth season in DeLand, was able to give a total of 21 players at least 20 minutes of playing time in the match as only Grimmett, junior defender Anna Brethauer and junior midfielder Telma Sif Buadottir went the full 90 minutes.
 
The Hatters will only celebrate the opening victory briefly before turning their attention to Sunday's opponent, Florida. After earning victories in a pair of exhibition games, including a 2-0 win over North Florida, the Gators were blanked 3-0 in their season-opener on Thursday at UCF.
 
Sunday's game, which has been designated as Youth Day, will be just the second between the Hatters and Gators. Florida won the only previous matchup, which was played in 1996. The game Sunday is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.
 
About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program is driven by a shared purpose. It is what inspires, motivates and binds us together. More than a task, a reason for being. THE HATTER PURPOSE is to create and provide an experience of a lifetime through teamwork and relationships to achieve excellence. This purpose is achieved through five Core Values: Communication, Integrity, Excellence, Value People and Commitment. To learn more about the HATS program and our Core Values, visit GoHatters.com/HATS. Get in on the conversation on social media by following Stetson Athletics on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For video content, visit our YouTube channels: Stetson Hatters, Stetson Athletics and, for live events, Hatter Vision.