KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Redshirt freshman Jen Rogers posted the 57th hat trick in team history and matched the best debut by a Hutchinson Community College women’s soccer player in a debut with four goals to lead No. 16 HCC to a season-opening 7-1 victory over Kansas City, Kansas on a sizzling Sunday on KCK’s new home field.
Rogers matched the debut of Danielle Sheehy, who scored four goals in the 2012 season opener. Rogers scored her four goals on four shots. She scored two goals in each half, scoring on assists from freshman Ashley Johnson and Bianca Reynolds and two from sophomore midfielder Courtney Gahagan.
Hutchinson (1-0, 1-0 Jayhawk Conference) won a seventh-straight season opener.
The Lady Dragons dominated play against second-year KCK, outshooting the Blue Dragons 31-6, including 16-4 in shots on goal.
Freshman goalkeeper Bailey Shupe had a very solid debut for HCC. She had three saves, two were spectacular stops. Off a first-half KCK corner, Shupe stopped a point-blank shot to her lower left when the game was 1-0. In the second half, Shupe was forced to make a dazzling stop on a Blue Devil breakaway and was equal to the task.
Four different Lady Dragons scored goals while Gahagan and redshirt freshman Phoebe Eshen had two assists each.
Hutchinson scored quickly and Nelson finished off a corner kick from Johnson just 4 minutes 25 seconds into the match.
HCC’s offense then went passive for a while, but a KCK foul in the box led to a penalty kick. Freshman Madison Holmes went to the lower right corner on the PK to give HCC a 2-0 lead in the 26th minute. Just three minutes later, freshman Melissa Zapata took a layoff pass from Eshen and drove to the net and scored from about 8 yards out for a 3-0 lead. Just 1:04 later, Rogers scored again for a 4-0 lead at intermission.
Over the final 30 minutes, the Lady Dragons started to find a good offensive flow and started to cash on.
Rogers and Gahagan connected twice. The second goal came on a deft chip pass from Gahagan to Rogers at midfield and she scored on a breakaway against KCK keeper Claudia Rivera who made nine saves.
The Lady Dragons made it 7-0 with less than 7 minutes remaining when Eshen sent one into the box that redshirt freshman Siobhon Wilson finished for her first career goal.
KCK’s Dania Gomez broke the shutout when she took the ball away on a poor clear and chipped the ball into the net just over the out-stretched arms of Shupe.
Hutchinson will open at home at 4 p.m. on Wednesday against Garden City.
GAME NOTES – Jen Rogers is the 24th different HCC player to score a hat trick. … The was head coach Sammy Lane’s 125 all-time victory with the Lady Dragons. … Last season, HCC defeated KCK 15-0. … The Lady Dragons had nine corner kicks to KCK’s three.
(HCC Sports Information)