DES MOINES, Iowa – The College of Saint Mary soccer team battled extreme weather conditions and a rough start Saturday night to muster a 1-1 tie vs. Grand View University.

In a game that was the season opener for both squads, the teams had to wait a little later to kick off the contest when it was delayed due to the high temperatures.

"I was happy to see our response to the heat," CSM Coach Jordan Irsik said. "We had the tamest weather for our preseason that I've ever seen and then we had to jump into our first game on a muggy, horribly hot day. That was a challenge.

"It was the mental toughness any coach would ask for and I'm proud it was on our sideline."

The Flames also showed mental toughness after having to fight off a bad start. CSM gave up a goal just 29 seconds into the contest. CSM goalkeeper Alivia Schade blocked an initial shot but then Grand View's Josi Lonneman was there for the rebound and found the back of the net with her own shot.

"The first minute was definitely a moment of us starting the opening game flat," Irsik said. "But after that our team really responded and played the remainder on the front foot. Grand View is difficult to play because they are a counter attack team, but our defense stepped up to the task and Alivia Schade especially made some really tough saves in tight spaces."

The Flames were then able to manage the tie when Abby Ridout scored at 75:34 with an assist from Camila Munoz.

"This is a good game for our confidence as we were able to see that anyone on the field can step up in the moment and give us an opportunity to win," Irsik said. "It was an especially great moment for Camila to step up on a dangerous free kick and have Abby finish it. Those are their first stats as Flames.

"I'm really excited to build on this as the season goes on."

Schade finished with four saves on the night as CSM outshot the Vikings 9-8.

College of Saint Mary (0-0-1) is off until Sept. 2 when the Flames host Kansas Wesleyan University at 1 p.m.