WINTER PARK, Fla. (September 4, 2024) - Women's soccer opened their season with a bang, earning a 3-1 victory over Clayton State thanks to a trio of goals from freshman
Emma McMurry.
The Tars were peppering the Laker cage with shots from the get go, putting two on goal before the third found paydirt in the tenth minute off the chest of McMurry. The ball had careened off a defender, and McMurry was able to make contact before falling to the ground, rolling it past the keeper. Rollins added five more attempts on target in the half, but each was saved by Rubie Kelley.
Following the halftime break, Rollins was once again on the attack early. After a yellow card to Clayton State gave the Tars a free kick, it was McMurry finding the net once more.
Alice Tesser had the first shot on goal, but it was saved. However, the rebound went straight to McMurry, who was able to blast it into the right corner for her second of the night.
On the ensuing possession, Tesser was whistled for a foul inside the box, which gave the Lakers a penalty kick. Eva Martin lined up her shot from the spot, and snuck a ball past
Lauren Mehos to cut the lead in half.
Clayton State held on to the momentum for a few minutes, but a yellow card to Emily Torrez gave Rollins a boost. Working off a corner kick,
Alayna Townsend was able to collect a loose ball and head it to McMurry, who powered the ball through once more to capture her hat trick.
With the comfortable lead, the Tars were able to focus on their defense and did not give the Lakers a chance to score for the remaining 25 minutes of the game. By the end of the game, Rollins had outshot Clayotn State 20-2, with a 13-2 advantage in shots on target.
McMurry's effort makes her the ninth player in team history to record a hat trick, and the tenth overall. Most recently,
Lexie Cooper also accomplished the feat last season.
The Tars will be back in action on Saturday at 7:00 pm when they host the Georgia Southwestern Hurricanes at Cahall-Sandspur Field.
