FULTON, Mo. -
Hannah Loethen scored a hat trick, her first as an Owl, in a rapid 14:30 on her Senior Day, and she was one of three William Woods University (6-4-3, 2-0 American Midwest Conference) seniors to find the back of the net as they beat Williams Baptist University (3-9, 1-2) 6-2 Saturday at North Campus Athletic Complex.
Playing most of the match - nearly the entire first half - in the attacking third, the Owls outshot the Eagles 28 (16 on goal) to three (two on goal) in the resounding win. Seven of WWU's eight seniors,
Belle Boschert,
Lauren Helmert,
Wilson Hornsby,
Lexi Drbul,
Maddy Schrader,
Leah Hays and Loethen, were in the starting 11 that did that.
"We had a solid win today," William Woods women's soccer coach
Lauren Robb said. "It was probably the best and most scoring we've done in one half in my time here at The Woods. I'm so proud of our seniors. They have helped create the mold for this team. They've made us better with their skills, leadership, different personalities and loving attitudes. It's a group that has made me grow and become a better coach. I will always be thankful for that."
Who else but Loethen opened the scoring for William Woods 3:52 into the contest, slotting home her shot opposite post from the right side of the pitch. Just under six minutes later, Loethen got her second goal to make it 2-0 Owls, scoring left corner on a breakaway run off a
Megan Hughes assist.
Helmert became the second Woods senior on the scoresheet, sending her shot into the net off a save by Williams Baptist's goalkeeper to put it at 3-0 WWU in the 10th minute.
Rounding out the trio of Owls senior scorers, Schrader netted her penalty kick to the Eagles shot-stopper's left to increase WWU's advantage to 4-0 in the 14th minute. To earn that penalty, Loethen was taken down inside the penalty box by WBU defender Fabianna Quiros, who was issued the contest's only yellow card later in the match.
Only 1:20 later, a senior-to-senior connection capped Loethen's first career hat trick as she took a Drbul pass and scored on another breakaway with no Eagles in sight.Â
Concluding William Woods' six-goal fist half, Helmert joined Loethen with a multi-goal game, recording the second of her two goals in the 27th minute. From 30 yards out, Helmert placed her shot into the top of the net to give the Owls a 6-0 lead.
Irene Cabanas Pena narrowed Williams Baptist's deficit to five (6-1) before halftime, finding the back of the net on a breakaway in the 35th minute.
The Owls outshot the Eagles 18-2 in a dominant first half. Even though WWU didn't score in the second half, it still outshot WBU 10-1.
Cabanas Pena scored on the Eagles' lone shot of the second half, achieving her brace on a breakaway attack like her first goal. However, WBU didn't score again, with WWU prevailing 6-2.
William Woods has a rematch of last season's AMC Tournament championship next, taking on its fierce rival, No. 10 Columbia College (8-1-1, 1-0 AMC) at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at R. Marvin Owens Field in Columbia.
