ALCORN STATE, Miss. — The University of Central Arkansas women's soccer team made its debut under head coach Jeremy Bishop a memorable one, turning in a dominant performance with a 10-0 shutout victory at Alcorn State on Friday.
Adriana Lucar and Marisela Chavez each recorded hat tricks for the Bears, and Kristin Pollard added a goal and three assists to fuel the rout.
The Bears led the Lady Braves 5-0 at the half, then doubled that margin in the second period for the third-highest goal total in program history and highest since getting 12 against UAPB in 2006.
"We wanted to start the season off with high intensity from the beginning all the way through the end," Bishop said. "We didn't want to come out and just play well and with intensity in spurts like we felt we did at Missouri State in the preseason. I think we accomplished that tonight. We've got things we can work on and improve, but the intensity level was there, which is a big thing for us. If we can keep that part going, then the rest will come along."
Lucar, a junior transfer from Harding University, and Chavez, a freshman from Mansfield, Texas, netted three goals apiece to become just the seventh and eighth players in program history to record a hat trick – and became just the second pair to do so in the same game, the other coming in 2004.
Pollard's three assists ties the program record, matching the three put up by Amanda Copley in 1998 and Stacy Pierce in 2006. Pollard, a junior from Tulsa, equaled her previous career assist total of two in the first half, then added her third late in the game.
Lucar wasted little time getting her UCA career rolling, netting two goals off assists from Sarah Correll within the first four minutes of play. Chavez got in on the action for her first goal in the 28th minute, with Pollard registering the first of her three assists.
Pollard fed junior Abigail Hodgson in the 42nd minute, then turned around and scored a goal of her own a minute later with sophomore Alex Wurst recording the assist to end the first-half onslaught.
Not long out of the break, Lucar struck again for the Bears – completing her hat trick in the 46th minute off an assist from sophomore Cassie Lange. Lange then increased the UCA lead to 7-0 in the 67th minute with sophomore Sara Perlman getting the assist.
The UCA lead hit eight when senior Cristin Curl, playing the first soccer game of her collegiate career after four years on the UCA volleyball team and one season with the softball team, scored in the 71st minute with Hodgson getting the assist.
Chavez then capped UCA's scoring with goals in the 79th and 87th minutes off assists from Pollard and junior Alex Barnett.
Senior goalkeeper Kelsey Gochnauer recorded one save for the Bears in the first half before giving way to junior Lyndzey Goff, who recorded one in the second. Those were the only two shots UCA surrendered to the Lady Braves, while the Bears took 31 in all and put 20 on frame.
UCA concludes its season-opening road trip on Sunday at ULM at 4 p.m.
