Box Score GORHAM, Maine - Junior forward Rachel Berkowsky (Stoughton, MA) came off the bench to score the fastest hat trick in the 31-year history of the Eastern Connecticut State University women's soccer program as the Warriors extended their Little East Conference regular-season unbeaten streak to 17 with an 8-0 victory over the University of Southern Maine Saturday afternoon at Hannaford Field.
Berkowsky, who had scored four goals in 36 previous games before Saturday, netted the final three goals of the match 4:46 apart in becoming the eighth player in program history to record as many as three goals in one half. The previous record for the fastest hat trick was set by Pam Neff (5:14) against Massachusetts College on Sept. 28, 1999.
A winner of ten matches in a season for the 15th time in the last 16 years under head coach Chris D'Ambrosio, Eastern (10-3-2, 5-0-1 LEC) moved to within a win or a tie next Saturday against visiting Rhode Island College of its second straight unbeaten regular season in the conference. A victory against Rhode Island (2-3-1 LEC) guarantees the Warriors their seventh LEC regular-season title under D'Ambrosio and the playoff's No. 1 seed for the second straight year. An Eastern tie against RIC coupled with a Keene State College victory at UMass Boston Saturday would give once-beaten Keene the regular-season championship.
Berkowsky came off the bench against Southern Maine (5-11-0, 0-6-0 LEC) to become the first player since Sarah Swann against Southern Maine in 2009 to net three goals in one half.
Six different players contributed a goal or assist when the Warriors moved out to a 4-0 halftime lead. Senior midfielder Hailey Lehning's (Woodbury) second goal of the match – an upper-90 drive to the far post – gave Eastern a 5-0 lead 12 minutes into the second half. Berkowsky scored her first goal 19 minutes after replacing All-New England Region forward Emily Becher (Brooklyn) in the 65th minute. Her second goal followed 3:03 later and her third came with 49 seconds left in the match.
Sophomore Kayla Labrecque (Westhampton, MA) and junior Kaley Kennedy (Enfield) split time in goal, each making one save. The appearance was the first since in over five weeks for Kennedy, who was injured in a 5-0 loss at nationally-ranked Brandeis Sept. 13.
Eastern visits Simmons College Wednesday at 7 p.m. in a non-conference match.
