ALBANY, Ga. – Jessica Cravero tallied her second hat trick of the season and took over the South Atlantic Conference lead for goals scored to catapult the Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team in a 4-0 destruction of Albany State on Tuesday afternoon.
Cravero continued an absolutely dominant stretch of soccer, as the Italian forward notched her second hat trick in four matches while scoring for the fourth consecutive contest. That individual effort sparked the Lady Railsplitters (5-2) to their second straight win. The LMU defense also held up its end of the bargain by handing the Rams (1-6) their fifth straight shutout loss.
Cravero put the Lady Railsplitters on the board in the 37th minute when she easily punched a penalty kick attempt past Albany State keeper Abby Whiteside.
Just before the first half ended, senior forward
Caroline Souza doubled the Lady Railsplitters lead by scoring her first goal since suffering an injury that cut her 2017 season short.
The spotlight turned back to Cravero early in the second half, as the freshman rebounded a deflected shot by
Rachel Taylor in the 47th minute to net her second goal of that match. She then finished off her hat trick in the 60th minute off a double assist from Taylor and
Daisy Drake.
Lincoln Memorial set the pace from start to finish, outshooting the Rams 21-7, including a 12-4 edge in the second half. Cravero nearly outshot Albany State by herself by producing six shots. She was one of seven Lady Railsplitters with multiple shots in the match.
Haley Kincheloe led the Rams with three shots, while Jenna Wade had a pair of shots.
Ann-Marie O'Connell and
Brooke Taylor combined for Lincoln Memorial's fourth shutout of the season. Taylor was responsible for that duo's only save.
Quick Hits
- Lincoln Memorial matched its season-high goal total in the win, equaling their effort in a 4-1 season-opening win over Erskine.
- Cravero also tallied a hat trick in the Lady Railsplitters' 3-0 win over USC Aiken on September 9. She now has a SAC-leading nine goals, which are the most by an LMU player since Sarah Taylor's 10 goals in 2010.
- The Lady Railsplitters set a season-high mark with 21 shots and 10 shots on goal.
Up Next
Lincoln Memorial returns to the LMU Soccer Complex on Saturday, September 29 to host Anderson in South Atlantic Conference action. First touch is set for 7 p.m.
