McKENZIE, Tenn. – Playing their first conference road contest of the season, No. 16 Martin Methodist responded with a gritty second-half effort to earn a 3-1 victory over Bethel (Tenn.) University Wednesday afternoon.

After Mor Efraim's goal in the 10th minute gave the RedHawks a 1-0 lead, the Lady Wildcats would respond with an equalizer from Jana Horvat in the 22nd minute to draw the teams level at the halftime break.

The RedHawks would respond in the second half, however, scoring the go-ahead goal off a Yalu Borbolla free kick that squirted past Lady Wildcats goalkeeper Nicoda Linton and into the back of the net in the match's 63rd minute.

Twenty minutes later, Efraim would strike for her second goal of the contest, slipping a shot just beyond the fingertips of backup goalkeeper Cayla Avila to give the RedHawks a 3-1 advantage they would not relinquish.

"It was tough match for us because we came out a little slow," RedHawks head coach Tyson John said. "I think it was a bit tough to get focused playing (at Noon). But I was proud of the second-half adjustments we made to pick up a big win."

The biggest adjustment, John added, was simply putting shots on goal.

"For us it's all about finding and hitting the target. I told the ladies to keep fighting and just keep putting shots on target and good things would happen. Our two second-half goals proved that."

As a team, the RedHawks outshot the Lady Wildcats 14-6 while enjoying an 8-2 corner kick advantage.

Meagan Storie stopped one of two Lady Wildcats shots on goal to pick up her ninth victory of the season in net for the RedHawks (9-3-0, 2-0 TranSouth).

Linton made three saves, but allowed two goals in 73-plus minutes of work in the loss for the Lady Wildcats (7-4, 2-1). Avila allowed one goal and did not register in any saves over the match's final 16-plus minutes.

"This was a good win for us but it also shows we need a lot of work," John said. "We are just over halfway through the season and this win showed us where we are as a team right now. It will show us what we need to get better at."

The RedHawks will stay in conference when they return to action Oct. 16 in their return matchup with Freed-Hardeman University. The RedHawks blanked the Lady Lions 7-0 in the first meeting between the two teams back on Sept. 25.