MIDDLEBURY, Vermont – Senior Scarlett Kirk (San Francisco, Calif.) tied the Middlebury record with a four-goal effort, as the Panthers (4-1-1) handed Lesley University (7-1-1) its first loss of the season. The Lynx had given up just three goals in eight games entering the contest.
Kirk opened the scoring just 7:03 into the game when Hannah Robinson (Davidson, N.C.) made a quick short pass to her from close-range, before she found the back of the net. Kirk made it a 2-0 game at 20:38, taking a pass from Moria Sloan (Bethesda, Md.) and scoring to the right side. A converted penalty kick by Robinson gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead with 2:34 left in the first half.
Kirk earned her second hat-trick of the season just 1:07 into the second half, beating a pair of defenders with nifty moves before lofting a hard shot over the head of Lesley keeper Emileigh Lloyd (Middletown, Pa.), who also made five stops in the effort.
Lesley's best chance to score came in the 52nd minute when a blast from 25 yards out by Marysol Flores (Pico Rivera, Calif.) hit the crossbar. The record-tying goal for Kirk came at 55:27 as she again took a pair of defenders before lofting a shot high into the net.
Middlebury outshot the visitors 15-3 on the afternoon, as Elizabeth Foody (Ottawa, Ont.) made just one save in goal to earn the shutout.
The Panthers return to action on Saturday when they host Colby at 11:00a. The Lynx will also be home on Saturday when they play host to New England Collegiate Conference foe, Elms College, at 7:00p at Buckingham, Browne, and Nichols.