BOX SCORE
OREM, Utah (Oct. 28) – Seattle University women’s soccer closed the regular season with a 3-1 win at Utah Valley Friday night. Natasha Howe tallied a hat trick as the Redhawks extended their regular season Western Athletic Conference (WAC) unbeaten streak to 24 matches.
SU, who clinched the WAC regular season crown last weekend, finished its schedule with a 12-5-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 WAC mark. It earned the top seed in next weekend’s WAC Championship, receiving a bye into the semifinals. The tournament opens Thursday, Nov. 3, at UMKC.
“I thought we started a little sluggish and did not seem as sharp or as focused as we needed to be,” said Coach Julie Woodward. “I thought the team responded well in the second half. Games like this, you need a leader to step up and I was very proud of multiple second-half performances, especially Karli White, Brie Hooks, Hannah Carrothers, and the incredible senior leadership on the field of Natasha Howe.”
On Friday, the Redhawks went down, 1-0, as Utah Valley scored at the 10:46 mark of the first half. From there, Seattle U controlled play on its way to a road victory. The visitors earned four corner kicks soon after the Wolverines scored, pressuring the Utah Valley defense. Brie Hooks set up Howe’s first goal at the 15:36 mark, tying the match at 1. The teams entered halftime still deadlocked.
Mackenzie Curry came up with a save early in the second frame, keeping the score even. Kelsey Vogel sent a long ball ahead to Howe, where she made her move, beating the Wolverines’ goalie on the right side for a 2-1 SU edge. Her second goal of the match came in the 69th minute.
Just over two minutes later, Howe struck again and gave Seattle U insurance. The senior scored at the 70:16 mark for the hat trick and a 3-1 margin.
Howe’s three-goal night was the first Redhawk hat trick since Oct. 7, 2012, when Stephanie Verdoia achieved the feat in a 5-1 home win over Idaho.
Seattle U outshot Utah Valley, 10-6, and earned 11 corner kicks to just five for the hosts. Curry posted a pair of saves in net, improving to 8-0 this season.
The Redhawks have won four straight WAC regular season titles and haven’t lost a regular season conference game since Oct. 12, 2014. They are 21-0-3 in WAC matches in that span.