Oct. 15, 2006

Box Score

BOCA RATON, FL -- Tessa McGarrity's hat trick and goals by three others gave Florida Atlantic University women's soccer a 6-0 win over Troy at FAU Field on Sunday.

McGarrity scored three goals, all in the second half after Beckie Ware and Alicia Tirelli had put FAU on top 2-0 after 45 minutes of play. Taylor Browning finished the offensive outburst with her first goal as an Owl.

Ware's goal followed a nice passing sequence from Natalie D'Oria who passed to Tirelli, who one-touched a pass to Ware. She fired a shot past the keeper on the far side for the game's first goal in the 8th minute.

Tirelli scored her team-high seventh of the season on pair of passes inside the box. McGarrity found Tirelli who tapped it in the left side of the goal. Susanna Lehtinen was also given credit with an assist.

FAU outshot Troy 13-0 in the first 45 minutes and held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks.

After halftime, McGarrity took over. Her first goal came in the 43rd minute off a pass just outside the box from Lehtinen. She dribbled in the left side of the box before firing a shot past the keeper inside the far post.

The second goal came off a rebound following a Christina Chang shot that the Trojan keeper mishandled in the 61st minute. The natural hat trick was completed in the 72nd minute when McGarrity pounced on a Nicole Farrell pass off a corner taken by Lehtinen and fired it into the open net.

Taylor Browning, who subbed into the game following the third McGarrity goal, had one blistering shot turned aside in the 82nd minute before firing a shot over the head of the keeper into the corner from 30-yards out in the 86th minute.

Megan Coyne started in net and played the first 68:51 before being replaced by Jessica Badders. Neither keeper was asked to face a shot, as FAU held a 26-0 shot advantage. Troy keeper Jennifer Currie made several outstanding saves despite allowing the six goals.

The win capped off a parents' weekend celebration for FAU, with many of the player's parents in attendance for the wins over South Alabama on Friday and today. The seniors, Coyne, Chang, Cristina Rodriguez, Ware, and Meredith White, were honored before the game along with their parents with an on-field presentation.

In all, nine Owls registered at least one point in the contest, and nine players registered at least one shot attempt. McGarrity led all players with eight shot attempts, including six on goal, while Ware, Rodriguez, and Monique Cabrera each had three.

After playing their first home matches since September 24, the Owls return to the road next weekend to face the Arkansas schools. Arkansas-Little Rock is scheduled to host FAU on October 20 at 8 p.m. eastern, before Florida Atlantic heads to Arkansas State for an October 22nd match-up scheduled for 1 p.m. eastern.