A hat trick by junior Rebecca Sparkman within the first 20 minutes of the game helped South Dakota defeat the College of Saint Mary 4-0 on Sunday at the USD Sports Complex.
The Coyotes (2-0-0) dominated possession of the ball throughout the game, outshooting College of Saint Mary 27-5.
Sparkman’s goals came in the fourth, ninth and 18th minutes. The first was set up by senior Brittlyn Dillow who found Sparkman on the outside right of the box. Sparkman connected with the ball and sent her shot left of the keeper for a goal. Five minutes later, senior Katie Porter crossed the ball over the defense to sophomore Corey Strang who crossed it back in front of the goal where Sparkman was waiting with a wide open shot.
The third goal, completing Sparkman’s hat trick, happened amid chaos in the College of Saint Mary goal box. Senior Lauren Bennett crossed the ball in off a corner kick, where junior Kasha Meyer headed it towards the goal. The ball bounced around a bit before it found Sparkman waiting with another look at the goal.
Saint Mary’s goalkeeper, Courtney Smith, had eight saves that held off the Coyotes from scoring again until the 65th minute. Sparkman passed the ball over to junior Teagan Eberle who launched it over a group of defenders and past Smith’s hands into the net.
Sparkman is one of five Coyotes in school history to score seven or more points in a game. Two points are awarded when a player scores a goal and one point is given for an assist.
