Cowgirls soccer team cruises past UALR

STILLWATER — A hat trick from Hannah Chance shot Oklahoma State women’s soccer past Arkansas-Little Rock by a final of 8-0 Sunday at Neal Patterson Stadium.

With the win, the Cowgirls improved to 3-1-0 and remained undefeated at home, while Arkansas-Little Rock fell to 0-2-2.

OSU’s scoring surge marked the first time the Cowgirls recorded eight goals in a game since 2016, and Chance’s three scores was the 18th hat trick in program history and the first since Grace Yochum achieved the feat in 2019.

Nicole Ray added a pair of goals in the win, while Xcaret Pineda, Laudan Wilson and Lexi Lee also scored.

The first score of the game came when Ray found the back of the net in the 12th minute, with Logan Heausler and Chloé Joseph assisting on the play. It was the first goal in a Cowgirl uniform for Ray.

OSU’s leading scorer, Chance, knocked in her fourth goal of the season in the 20th minute off an Alex Morris assist. Four minutes later, Pineda added to the Cowgirls’ lead with her first goal of the 2023 campaign.

In goalie Ary Purifoy’s first start of the season, she logged three saves, all of those coming in the first half as OSU took a 3-0 lead into the break.

Eight minutes into the second half, Wilson tacked on another goal on a 20yard blast from just outside the top of the box, increasing the Cowgirl lead to four.

Chance would get the next two scores to complete the hat trick. The first came at the 56:17 mark and then just 51 seconds later, she scored again off another Morris assist.

In the 64th minute, Ray notched another, extending the lead to seven, and Lee capped the big afternoon with her first collegiate goal off an assist from Adehlia Ghonda in the 74th minute.

OSU was stout on defense throughout, holding Arkansas-Little Rock to only one shot in the second half and outshooting the visitors by a 23-6 margin in the match.

The Cowgirls return to action Thursday night with a road contest at Texas State.