BEREA, Ky. – Junior forward Abby Mayer logged her third hat trick of the season to match the NCAA-era single-season and career records, as the Brevard College women's soccer team (6-3) used an eight-goal outburst to defeat Berea College (1-8-1) on Tuesday afternoon in Berea, Kentucky.
Mayer, a junior from Roxboro, North Carolina, scored three goals to bring her season total to 10. The first-year Tornado has now scored three goals in three separate contests, matching the program NCAA-era single-season and career record for hat tricks, tying Ashley Hughes '19 who logged three hat tricks in her senior season. Mayer surpassed Bailey Varley's two career hat trick mark.
Junior forward Taylor Richardson added a season-high two goals, while Grace Black, Olivia Guillermo, and Mikayla Zvekan each found the back of the net once. Senior midfielder Alyssa Hetherington dished out a career-high three assists to match the single-game program record, while Guillermo totaled two assists herself alongside Alexis Marshall recording her first collegiate assist.
Mackenzie Lozano (4-1) earned her fourth win and shutout of the season, blanking the Mountaineers with a three-save effort. The St. Petersburg, Florida freshman is the reigning USA South Conference Defender of the Week.
As a team, the Tornados took 25 shots, including 12 on-goal, in their season-high eight-goal offensive output. Brevard was able to outshoot the Mountaineers 25-6 and won all three corner kicks of the match.
Mayer put the first goal of the match into the back of the net, as a loose ball after a set piece trickled to the forward's feet, and she was able to slot it home to give the Tornados the early 1-0 lead. Black doubled the Tornado lead just a minute later, out-pacing her defender down the right side before ripping a shot into the left-hand side as BC held a 2-0 advantage.
BC got back in the scoring column in the 35th minute of play, when Mayer found the net for the second time. Hetherington played a ball into the middle of the field that was collected by a sprinting Mayer, and the junior fired it past the Berea keeper to make it a 3-0 affair.
Mayer finished off her hat trick at the end of the first half when she was played onside by another great pass and finished the breakaway goal, pushing Brevard's lead to a 4-0 margin.
Zvekan scored her goal in the 51st minute after the Tornados dispossessed the Mountaineers, leading to a scoring opportunity that the freshman capitalized on. Just three minutes later, Richardson found the back of the net on a Zvekan cross into the box, giving Brevard a commanding 6-0 advantage.
Richardson finished off her brace after Guillermo dished her a pass past the Berea defender, making it a 7-0 score. BC found the back of the net for the eighth time in the match after Marshall's deflected shot found Guillermo's feet, and the freshman ripped a shot into the left corner of the goal.
Brevard returns to USA South Conference play on Saturday in Raleigh, North Carolina against Meredith College at 4 p.m.
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-BC-