The Doug Lange Network 

September 28, 2018

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LACEY, Wash. – Freshman forward  Dayana Diaz recorded a hat trick and sophomore midfielder Alice Hiebert had a goal and two assists to lead No. 17 nationally-ranked Western Washington University women’s soccer to a 4-0 victory over Saint Martin’s on Thursday afternoon in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at SMU Soccer Field.

 

WWU improved to 7-2-0 overall and 2-1-0 in GNAC play with its third consecutive win, while Saint Martin’s drops to 4-4-0 overall and 0-3-0 in conference play.

 

The Vikings out-shot the Saints 33-1, with the WWU defense not allowing a shot on goal in the 90-minute contest.

 

"It was a good team win today with lots of players contributing to the victory,” said 16th-year head coach Travis Connell. “We had players come off the bench that really stepped up and contributed key minutes to start this road trip."

                                      

Diaz (Granite Falls, WA) scored for the third consecutive game, with the game-winning goal in each contest during WWU’s current three-game winning streak, and is the first GNAC player to record a three-goal game this season. The reigning GNAC Offensive Player of the Week now has five goals on the season, all coming in the last nine days. She is the sixth Viking to record a hat trick (7 times) during the GNAC era dating back to 2001.

 

“Dayana is stepping into the moment. It has been really cool to see players take an opportunity and make the most of it and start to realize their potential,” added Connell.

 

Hiebert (Bellingham, WA) scored her first career goal and added a pair of assists for the four-point performance.

 

“As a team, it is our goal to improve every time we step on the field, and Alice personifies that,” added Connell. “She has been fighting and fighting to get in there, and now she is scoring goals and getting assists…and that exemplifies what we are as a team. We recognized Alice after the match for her great contributions today.”

 

The Vikings dominated the run of play in the first half out-shooting the Saints 16-1, but were held without a goal until the 38thminute when Diaz scored connected on a goal in her third consecutive game at the 37:21 mark. Junior midfielder Jordyn Bartelson (Puyallup, WA) sent a cross into the box, that was touched forward by Hiebert and then one-timed past the keeper from close quarters by Diaz for the 1-0 lead.

 

With less than a minute remaining in the half, the Viking struck again for the 2-0 lead when Hiebert took a pass from the top of the box from senior defender Taylor Hallquist (Vancouver, WA/Columbia River), and connected on the shot from 5-yards out for her first career goal.

 

Diaz recorded the brace in the 77th minute when she fired from 5-yards outside the box that beat the SMU keeper to the near post. Hiebert assisted on the goal at the 76:02 mark to finish the day with four points.

 

WWU put the finishing touches on the 4-0 victory in the 82nd minute. Sophomore Zoe Milburn (Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) delivered the ball across the box on a corner kick, where junior defender Emily Nelson (Puyallup, WA/Bellarmine Prep) headed it back towards the near post, with Diaz connecting on the diving header to the near post from 10-yards out.

 

Saint Martin’s junior goalkeeper Sara Christensen made eight saves for the Saints while allowing the four goals.

 

The Vikings (7-2-0, 2-1-0 GNAC) remain on the road to face Western Oregon (4-3-2, 2-1-1 GNAC) on Saturday, Sept. 29 in Monmouth, Oregon with kickoff at 11:30 am. WWU’s next home game will be against rival Seattle Pacific on Thursday, October 4 with a 7 pm kickoff.

 

Game Notes: WWU improved to 19-2-1 all-time vs. Saint Martin’s, including a current 14-game winning streak…9-2 all-time in games in Lacey…Taylor Hallquist recorded her team-leading third assist of the season and is second on the team with 7 points (2 goals, 3 assists) behind Diaz (8 points)…redshirt freshman Mia Powers (Seattle, WA/Holy Names/Minnesota) made her WWU debut entering the game in the second half…senior goalkeeper Alyssa Treptow (Flagstaff, AZ) made her second appearance of the season and third of her career entering the game for starter Natalie Dierickx (Kirkland, WA/Inglemoor/Colorado State) in the 67th minute…senior defender Hattie North (Bellingham, WA) returned to SMU Soccer Field where she played one season for the Saints in 2015 (16 games, 15 starts).

 

Hat Tricks: Freshman Dayana Diaz scored the seventh hat trick by a WWU player during the GNAC era (since 2001)…first WWU hat trick since senior Gabriela Pelogi had a pair of 3-goal games last season…here is a list of WWU hat tricks since 2001:

 

• Katie Weber (9/14/06 vs. Grand Canyon)

• Lucy Miller (10/11/08 vs. Northwest Nazarene)

• Catherine Miles (10/26/13 vs. Northwest Nazarene)

• Elise Aylward (9/26/15 vs. Simon Fraser)

• Gabriela Pelogi (9/2/17 at Holy Names, 9/21/17 vs. Central Washington)

• Dayana Diaz (9/27/18 at Saint Martin's)

 

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-- @WWU_WSoccer --