GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Lauren Wade scored three goals in a 3 1/2-minute span in the second half to lead fifth-ranked Carson-Newman to a 3-0 win over Tusculum in South Atlantic Conference women's soccer action Wednesday evening at Pioneer Field.
Wade, the reigning SAC Player of the Year, scored in the 78th, 80th and 81st minutes for the Eagles (12-0-1, 8-0-1 SAC), who outshot the Pioneers 15-8 but could not break through against the Tusculum defense until Wade's second-half eruption.
The Eagles had the first shot attempt of the match in the fourth minute, but Pioneer keeper Hannah Graham made the save on a shot from Magda Mosengo. Tusculum's first shot was at the 10th minute as Payton DeHart fired high of the goal on a one-timer from the top of the box.
Wade's first shot attempt came in the 14th minute, but her blast from nearly 20 yards out was caught by Graham. In all, Graham finished with three saves in the first half as the Eagles outshot the Pioneers by a 7-2 margin.
Tusculum had a good chance in the 51st minute but Carlie Thornber's shot from 25 yards out just carried over the crossbar. With the match still scoreless with just over 20 minutes left, a skirmish between players from each teams resulted in two red cards and 10-on-10 soccer for the rest of the match.
Given the open space, Wade went to work with just under 13 minutes left as she blasted home a past from Holly Talbut-Smith for a 1-0 Carson-Newman lead with 12:47 remaining. Exactly two minutes later, Wade took a pass from Catarina Realista and moved to the top of the box before blasting her second goal to the far post with 10:47 left.
Wade finished the hat trick with 9:17 remaining as she collected a throw-in from Inga Adalsteinsdottir, moved to the top of the box and fired a shot to the near post for her ninth goal of the season and a 3-0 Eagles lead. Wade nearly netted a fourth goal just two minutes later, but her chip shot from the top of the box just missed the far post.
The Eagles finished with a 7-2 edge in corner kicks and were called for 17 fouls to 11 by the Pioneers. Jacqueline Burns made one save in goal for the shutout for Carson-Newman, while Graham finished with four saves for Tusculum.
The Pioneers will travel to Catawba for a SAC match against the Indians on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
