The Rain opened their 2002 home season on Sunday, but were unable to put the ball in the net as they fell to the Victoria Stars 1-0 in front of a crowd of about 100 fans at PGE Park. Victoria's Josee Bureau scored the lone goal in the 32nd minute.

Neither team made much of a threat during the first 15 minutes as they were both adjusting to the slightly soggy NexTurf. The first serious threat for either team came in the 19th minute when a Victoria corner kick curved into the 6 yard box and somehow founds it's way to Rain goalkeeper Gillian Dodds, who had to make a quick reaction save to keep it out of the net. As the play continued, Rina Rolinski for Victoria had a look from 20 yards out that forced a save, then the attempted shot off the rebound went over the bar.

In the 23rd and 24th minutes, the Rain had a few good chances when they were able to get open near the top of the box, but first Mary Cascio, then Keegan Hughes put their shots over the bar.

In the 32nd minute, Victoria had a similar opportunity, when Josee Bureau found herself open from about 25 yards out, but her dipping shot towards the bottom left corner was very well placed, and it eluded the diving save attempt by Dodds, and the Stars has a 1-0 lead.

Just one minute later, the Rain may have had their best scoring chance of the game when a cross from Hughes bounced around in the box when the Stars couldn't clear, and found the foot of Megan Cecchini, whose shot from 8 yards out was saved by it deflecting off the shoulder of a Stars defender and over the bar. In the 37th minute, the Stars had another good scoring opportunity when a counterattack had Rolinski making a run down the left side and into the box, where her hard shot from 15 yards out hit off the left post before bouncing out and finally being cleared by the Rain.

In the 42nd minute, Victoria's Miesha Breiterdid a good job of fighting to keep control of a ball in the box, and pushed a shot past the Rain keeper that forced Portland's Stacy Merlitti to clear the ball of the line. Neither team threatened again and the half ended with Victoria up 1-0.

In the 47th minute, The Stars' Teresa Nieman played a seemingly innocent chip from 25 yards out that only missed the lower left corner by a foot or so. Play them moved mostly to midfield for the next 15 minutes as Victoria being to play a more defensive game, as the Rain looked for the equalizer.

The next good scoring opportunity didn't come until the 63rd minute when a failed clearing attempt by the Portland keeper came directly to the Stars' Joann Nash, who moved into the box to 10 yards from goal, but her shot was saved by Dodds and cleared by the Portland defense. In the 78th minute, Portland's Cecchini made a good run from on a through ball from near midfield and got within 10 yards at an angle to the left, but her shot went right at the Victoria keeper. In the 81st minute, another nice cross from Hughes had Cascio open 15 yards from goal, but her shot went right at the Victoria keeper. The last chance for the Rain came in the 88th minute when a cross from the left side was into the run of Laurie Smith, who could only get a toe on the ball and it went right to the Victoria keeper.

Gillian Dodds had two saves for the Rain. The Victoria keeper had three saves in the winning effort.