Brighton began the new Women's Super League season with a deserved 2-0 win at home to Birmingham City.
Two goals in as many second-half minutes at Crawley from Megan Connolly and new signing Inessa Kaagman were enough to secure all three points for Hope Powell's side.
Weakened Birmingham fielded four debutants, including two new signings.
But, in new boss Carla Ward's first game in charge, they had only enough players to have four on the bench.
That included forward Destiney Toussaint, who came on as substitute to join up with Jamie-Lee Napier, whose loan move from Chelsea was also announced earlier in the day, and summer arrivals Christie Murray and Chloe McCarron.
Brighton also gave debuts to four players, Kaagman, Lee Geum-min, Katie Robinson and Rebekah Stott, while former AC Milan star Nora Heroum remained on the bench.
Brighton twice hit the woodwork in the first half through Kaagman, when Birmingham keeper Hannah Hampton tipped her shot onto the bar, and then from Danielle Bowman's free-kick.
But Connolly broke the deadlock when she turned sharply just outside the box before floating a speculative right-foot shot over keeper Hampton. And just two minutes later, Kaagman struck from close range.
