Hatch's hat trick leads No. 14 BYU soccer past reigning champs


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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ashley Hatch was held scoreless Monday night when BYU women’s soccer lost its first home match in two years at South Field.

She didn’t want that to happen again.

Hatch scored three goals, including the game winner in the 78th minute to break a 2-2 tie, to help the No. 14 Cougars stun defending NCAA champion Penn State, 3-2 on Friday night.

“We came off Nebraska and didn’t want to think about it. That wasn’t who we are as a team,” BYU coach Jennifer Rockwood told ESPN 960 after the match. “It doesn’t matter who we play or what style they play; we need to focus on what we do best. We came off some great practices this week, and put in an unbelievable performance against a great team here. This is a huge win.”

Hatch opened the scoring for BYU (2-1) just six minutes in the match to help the Cougars take a 1-0 lead at halftime. She added to her haul off a through ball from Nadia Gomes in the 57th minute to go up 2-0.

But the fifth-ranked Nittany Lions (1-1-1) didn’t go quiet. Frannie Crouse scored off a header inside the six-yard box around the hour mark, and Charlotte Williams tied the match in the 66th minute with a low shot from 12 yards out.

Then the Gilbert, Arizona native had her finest hour.

Hatch notched her third goal of the match on a touch near the box into the bottom right corner to give BYU the upset victory.

“Not only can she score, but her defensive presence is what set the tone tonight,” Rockwood said of Hatch. “The high pressure of our forwards, Nadia, Murph and Ashley, worked so hard.

“That’s our style, and we were rewarded with playing our game right from the beginning.”

The Lions took their first loss of the season, and Hatch has five goals on the season after dumping a brace in a 2-1 win over Washington State in BYU’s regular-season opener last Friday.

Hannah Clark finished the game in goal for starter Rachel Boaz, who suffered an apparent broken hand in the first half. Clark made four saves to preserve the win.

“An amazing job. Hannah has been a leader on this team for a couple of years,” Rockwood said. “She has worked so hard to prepare for an opportunity like this.

Scoring Summary
No. 14 BYU 3, No. 5 Penn State 2
6’ BYU: Ashley Hatch (Elena Medeiros, Paige Barker)

67’ BYU: Ashley Hatch (Nadia Gomes)

62’ PSU: Frannie Crouse (Haleigh Echard)

66’ PSU: Charlotte Williams (Frannie Crouse)

78’ BYU: Ashley Hatch (Michele Vasconcelos)

“When Boaz went down, I turned to her if she was ready to go. She just nodded her head, and she was ready. We’re going to rely on all that preparation she has had over her time at BYU … We’re disappointed and heartbroken for Rachel, and we’ll try to get her back by the end of the season. But she can still be a big part of this team.”

Elena Medeiros, Paige Barker and Michele Vasconcelos also had assists for the Cougars.

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Sean Walker

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