The sold-out Meadow Park was a hive of activity as the women's Super League kicked off.
Captain Kim Little and forward Stina Blackstenius struck either side of the break to give the team a 2-0 lead.
The Euro 2022 top scorer became the leading scorer in WSL opening-day history with two clinical finishes in 21 second-half minutes.
In the 7th minute, Emma Kullberg was sent off for bringing Blackstenius down when he was on goal.
It was the season opener for both sides after the postponement of the first round of WSL games.
An assured performance was added to by the return of Mead's prolific form, as the manager of the side who finished a point behind the winners of the previous year's title attempts to win it again.
The Seagulls performed creditably, coming close to an equalising goal with the score at 1-0, through fine chances for Terland and Robinson.
A shout of "golden boot" was heard when the player of the tournament walked over to the right wing.
In the week before the season started, Eidevall commented that the same intensity had been shown by Mead in pre-season as she did in helping England win the World Cup.
As a result of Kullberg's dismissal, the opening goal remained a feature of the game and so familiar to England fans.
Blackstenius cracked a shot against the bar after Little scored.
Arsenal were able to stretch their backline as they were tired.
The first goal was a clinical strike and the second was a measure of her composure as she fooled her markers and calmly converted.
Miedema scored seven times on the first day of the season. The pair's ruthlessness at the goalmouth could affect the title credentials of the club.
Several teams did not start their seasons in large stadiums because of the postponement of the first round of WSL games.
There were 3,238 fans in Meadow Park for the first home match of the season, which was a record for the stadium.
The club shop on the corner of the North Bank attracted a queue of fans as they waited outside the gates.
After shirts bearing her name had traded quickly from behind the counter, chants of "Meado" and "Mead will tear you apart" went up.
It would have felt different for the Lionesses to play in front of such a large crowd at Wembley, where they had played their previous match.
The renewed enthusiasm of the women's game after an unforgettable summer was just as much a part of the devotion they absorbed.
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