Hatfield Nets Hat Trick as Women's Soccer Blanks Mass. Maritime, 7-0

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Junior forward Mackenzie Hatfield (Whitman, Mass.) recorded a hat trick and also added an assist to lead the Bridgewater State University women's soccer team to a 7-0 Homecoming victory over visiting Mass. Maritime Academy on Saturday afternoon at Swenson Field.

The Bears improve to 5-8 on the season and 2-3 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC), while the Buccaneers slip to 3-8-3 overall and 0-4-1 in conference play.

Bridgewater led 5-0 at the intermission with Hatfield scoring twice in the opening 45 minutes. Junior forward Carolyn Sessler (Plymouth, Mass.) and freshman forwards Courtney Pepin (Uxbridge, Mass.) and Julia Karacius (Norwell, Mass.) also added first half tallies for the Bears.

Sophomore midfielder Amanda Leite (New Bedford, Mass.) staked the Bears to a 6-0 lead in the 58th minute, and Hatfield completed the hat trick with her team-leading and career-high 11th goal of the season in the 61st minute to cap off the scoring.

With her seven points on the afternoon, Hatfield increased her career total to 76 points (28 G, 20 A) as she is now tied for fourth place, along with Kaitlin Lamothe (2007-08), on the Bears' all-time scoring list. Hatfield is also now third in BSU women's soccer history with 20 assists.

Sessler and Pepin each finished with a goal and an assist as five different Bears scored and eight recorded at least one point. The goals for Karacius and Leite marked their first collegiate scoring strikes.

BSU junior goalkeepers Kristin Reardon (Weymouth, Mass.) and Emma Titus (Salem, Mass.) combined to make three saves in the shutout bid for the Bears with Reardon posting her third win of the season.

Junior netminder Katie Levesque (Wilmot, N.H.) played very well between the pipes for the Buccaneers who were outshot in the game by a decided margin of 37-3.  Levesque finished with 19 saves including 13 in the first half alone.

Along with the 37-3 shot advantage, Bridgewater also held a 10-1 edge in corner kicks.

The Bears travel to non-conference rival Keene State College on Wednesday evening to take on the Owls at 6:30.  The Buccaneers host MASCAC foe Framingham State University next Saturday at noon.