ABREU HAT TRICK LEADS PRIDE OVER WILDCATS, 5-2

BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore forward Kristen Abreu (Woburn, Mass.) registered her first career hat trick to lead the Regis College women's soccer team over host Wheelock College this evening in a New England Collegiate Conference match at Winsor Field. Regis improves to 8-2-3 overall and 5-1-2 in league play, while the Wildcats fall to 4-13-0, 2-6-0 NECC.

The Wildcats got on the board first just 81 seconds into the game. Freshman defender Madeline Domingo (Newington, Conn.) served a cross over the middle of the field inside the box, where Emma Petner (Hilo, Hawaii) was able to possess and then fire into the far right post for an early 1-0 edge.

Abreu led a Regis offensive attack that owned a 39-7 shot advantage, including 22-3 in the first half. Her first score of the night tied the match at 1-1 when sophomore Adena Joseph (Stoughton, Mass.) rushed in on the Wheelock keeper and flicked the ball over her head to set up Abreu for a tap in at the 12:38 mark.

Just over ten minutes later, Joseph lifted a shot over the keeper from inside the box off a feed from freshman Samantha Salamone (Milford, Mass.) to give the Pride a 2-1 lead. The Pride struck again just 2:47 later when senior Michelle Sirois (Easton, Mass.) took a perfect direct kick from just outside the box into the back of the net for a 3-1 lead.

Wheelock pulled to within a goal when Petner served a cross to the right side of the box, where freshman Katlyn Rose D'Errico (Nashua, N.H.) settled it and sent a shot into the left corner for her fourth goal of the season at 51:25.

Abreu's final two goals of the evening capped the scoring for both teams. She gave the Pride a 4-2 cushion at 58:35 of the second half when defender Jackie Rocheville (Salem, Mass.) blasted a shot off the cross bar, which was collected by Sirois, who crossed to Abreu for a shot into the right corner. Abreu's third goal of the evening and sixth of the season came when junior Tess McLean's (West Roxbury, Mass.) shot trickled through the keeper's hands and was picked up by Abreu for the tap in with less than five minutes remaining.

Freshman keeper Rachel Gagnon (Ashford, Conn.) stopped four shots to earn the victory for Regis, while Sarah McCaffrey (East Taunton, Mass.) turned away a season-high 16 shots for the Wildcats.

Regis will be back in action for Senior Day at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, October, 27 as the Pride host Becker College in their final regular season NECC game. Wheelock will host Southern Vermont College, also on Saturday, in a game scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

Release courtesy of Wheelock Sports Information