Mearns Nets Four in Win

Belmont, CA—Junior forward Emily Mearns scored four goals, including the game-winner, as the Brigham Young University Hawaii women’s soccer team defeated Notre Dame de Namur 5-3 today in a Pacific West Conference match.  Mearns, the Seasiders’ leading scorer this season, tallied once in the first half to help stake the Seasiders, now 6-2 for the season and 4-1 in the PacWest, to a 2-1 halftime advantage, and then notched a hat trick in the second half to spark the victory.

Mearns opened the scoring in the fourth minute off a pass from Lauran McCullough as the two played the ball through the defense for the score.  BYU–Hawaii’s Ashley Hunter put the Seasiders up by two with a score in the 35th minute off assists from Natasha Aiono and Tara McPartland.  Notre Dame de Namur, now 3-7 for the season and 3-2 in the conference, got on the scoreboard in the 37th minute with a goal by Sarah Biser.

Victoria Colon scored the first of her two second-half goals for Notre Dame de Namur in the 57th minute to tie the score at 2-2 but Mearns gave the Seasiders a 3-2 lead with a chip shot over the goalie off a long pass from Chloe Ence in the 68th minute.  Colon knotted the score at three a short time later with a goal at the 70-minute mark.

Mearns scored the eventual game-winner on a header off a corner kick by Hunter in the 80th minute and then added an insurance score, her tenth goal of the season, following another long-ball assist by McCullough in 90th minute of the contest.

BYU–Hawaii’s next game will be on Saturday against Academy of Art.  Game time is set for the PacWest contest at 3:00 pm in San Francisco, California.

Box Score