Box Score LITTLE ROCK – Lexus VanPelt entered Tuesday night with no career goals. She ended the evening with three.
The UALR senior midfielder had the offensive game of her career, powering the Trojans to a 7-1 victory over UAPB with a hat trick at the Coleman Sports & Recreation Complex.
UALR (6-0-0) has now won six consecutive games for the first time in program history. The Trojans also stretched their best-ever start to a year to six consecutive wins. UALR has also defeated UAPB (1-5-0) for the fourth straight time.
Plenty of different Trojans got in on the offensive action Tuesday night with VanPelt scoring three goals an adding an assist to lead the team with seven points. Freshman Maila Carboni had two goals and an assist to total five points, and UALR got second-half goals from Louise Kallin and Angel Daggs. Kallin, Elise Brune, Kailie Holloway, Harriett Pallett and Linnea Kogsta all added assists in the contest.
VanPelt got the Trojans on the board in the eighth minute, striking on a pass from Carboni in the middle of the box. Carboni's pass changed directions off a UAPB player and landed at VanPelt's feet, and the senior's strike found the twine as UALR went ahead 1-0.
Fourteen minutes later, VanPelt was at it again, this time getting a long pass from Linnea Kogsta in the back line. The ball landed perfectly in front of VanPelt's path, and she got the ball past the keeper for her second career goal.
Carboni got her first goal of the game in the 25th minute, taking advantage of a perfectly weighted through ball from Kailie Holloway. Carboni one defender at her back and went to the right side of the penalty box, shooting past the goalie from a tough angle.
The freshman struck again five minutes later, taking a quick sequence of passes from the UALR midfield. Carboni made a move to her left to shake the one Lions defender in front of her, and she hit pay dirt in the top left corner of the net off the keeper's fingers.
In the second half, Kallin got the offense started with a goal in the 52nd minute. The freshman moved under a cross from Pallett, heading the ball into the side netting off the UAPB goaltender's hands.
Five minutes after that, VanPelt completed her hat trick on a feed from Kallin. VanPelt gave the ball to Kallin on the right side and then moved toward goal. Her teammate found her all alone with the keeper, and VanPelt got her third of the night. The hat trick was the third of the Trojans' season after Ariel Galletti and Quin Wilkes had hat tricks in the season's opening weekend.
Daggs capped the Trojans' scoring in the 71st minute, heading in a cross from Brune. The ball just went over the goalie's outstretched fingers and landed on Daggs' head. The junior's aim was true as she found twine and made it a 7-1 game.
The UALR goaltenders did not have much work in the game. Sara Cavanagh (3-0-0) earned the win by playing the opening half. She did not face a shot. Classmate Shara Robbins started the second half and made one save for the team while also allowing a goal.
UALR is back in action on Thursday night, hosting Mississippi Valley State at 7.
