The Bluejays came out on the front foot from the opening whistle, peppering the Cougars' defense with pressure and earning a pair of early corners. The breakthrough came just over six minutes into the contest when Kelli Coughlin slotted home the opening goal. Less than two minutes later, Coughlin set up Ellie Muscarello, who finished a chance in the box to quickly double the lead. Coughlin struck again in the 16th minute, finishing off a pass from Lauren Nevins to give Elmhurst a 3-0 advantage before Concordia had registered a shot.

The Bluejays continued to dictate play throughout the opening half, generating nine shots compared to just one for the Cougars. Fitzharris made the lone stop of the day in the 33rd minute to preserve the clean sheet.

Early in the second half, Elmhurst picked up where it left off, as Maddie Cummings scored her first goal as a Bluejay in the 49th minute to push the lead to 4-0. From there, Elmhurst's depth took over, with 29 players seeing action. The Bluejays kept the pressure on with eight more shots in the second period while holding Concordia without an attempt.

Elmhurst finished the day with a decisive 17-1 advantage in shots, including a 9-1 margin on goal, and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks. Coughlin led the attack with two goals and an assist, while Muscarello and Cummings each tallied once. Nevins added an assist to round out the scoring plays.

In goal, Elmhurst rotated three keepers. Erin Fitzharris started and played the first 55 minutes, making one save. Sequoia Ross and Megan Kleve each entered in relief to close out the match, combining with Fitzharris on the shutout.

The victory gives Elmhurst a 1-0 start to the season while Concordia Chicago falls to 0-1. The Bluejays will look to carry their momentum forward when they return to action this Sunday, August 31, on the road at Rockford University.