Seattle University women's soccer (7-5-1, 2-0-1) welcomed the University of Idaho (3-11-1, 0-2-1) to Championship Field for the first time as a conference opponent and topped the Vandals, 5-1. The Redhawks donned pink uniforms as it was the annual Pink Game to benefit the Puget Sound Affiliate of Susan G. Komen.
"I thought we actually played pretty well in the first half and ended up going into halftime, 1-1, so I was a little disappointed," said head coach Julie Woodward. "But, I think we gave them some good points at halftime, and we had an extremely great second half. They finished their opportunities and played great; it was a fun game to watch as a lot of different people contributed. Kat Prati had an especially great game today and I think her speed kept them a little bit on their toes. She contributed a lot, I think, and changed the energy of the game. Stephanie had a hat trick and finished well, so it was just fun to see."
Seattle U struck early, as Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah) scored the first goal of the game, putting the Redhawks up, 1-0, in the 15th minute. Melissa Busque (St. Bruno, Quebec, Canada) assisted the goal.
Five minutes later, in the 20th minute, Idaho's Katie Baran sunk one in the net, assisted by Jill Flockhart to tie the game, 1-1, which remained the score going into halftime.
The Redhawks took the halftime speech to heart, as they emerged with an offensive explosion, adding four more goals in the second period.
Verdoia scored two more goals, completing the hat trick, one in the 47th minute and one in the 56th minute. Julia Moravec (Spokane, Wash.) assisted the first and Kat Prati (Moorpark, Calif.) and Taylor Bolibol (Woodinville, Wash.) assisted the second. This was Prati's first assist of the season.
At the 82nd minute mark, Moravec scored a goal of her own, assisted by Ava Ames (Seattle, Wash.) for her first assist of 2012.
In the 87th minute, Prati recorded another first, as she scored her first goal of the season to give the Redhawks the 5-1 win.
"Our team came out and played hard," said Verdoia. "Every goal I scored was because my teammates were there supporting me and putting me in front of the goal. It was really a team day. Everyone was working hard on the little things that matter, and that's what gave us such a high score."
Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) recorded the win in goal with one save in 90 minutes of play. For Idaho, Liz Boyden was handed the loss, also recording one save.
The Redhawks continue their home stretch, hosting Utah State on Friday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. at Championship Field. The match will be a doubleheader, as SU men's soccer hosts UNLV at 3:30 p.m.