Eastern Upends St. Gregory’s 5-1
Parkans nets first career hat trick

Box score

PORTALES, N.M. — The Eastern New Mexico University women's soccer team moved two games above .500 with a 5-1 victory over St. Gregory's University on Saturday, Oct. 2. Karly Parkans (Jr., F, Peoria, AZ/Paradise Valley CC) netted the first hat trick of her college career in the victory for ENMU (7-5-0).

The Zias dominated the game in the early going, but did not get on the scoreboard until the 34:25 mark. Megan Dozier (So., F, Midland, TX/Midland HS) took a long shot from the left side that went off the near side post and bounced directly to Parkans, who knocked it home to give Eastern a 1-0 lead.

Parkans added to that total at 37:58, again assisted by Dozier. On the play, Dozier moved deep in the zone on the right side and crossed a ball directly in front of the goal mouth. The ball glanced off goalkeeper Nicole McAuley, but Parkans was right there to knock it home, putting ENMU up 2-0, a lead it would carry into the half.

Nicole Bregler (Fr., M, Alamogordo, NM/Alamogordo HS) scored her second goal of the season just 1:38 into the second half, giving the home squad a 3-0 lead. She shot the ball from 25 yards out, tucking it just under the crossbar into the far corner. Bregler would get back into the scoring column under five minutes later, assisting on Dozier's seventh goal of the season. Bregler moved past the defense and tapped it to Dozier, who dribbled the ball into the net, putting the Zias up 4-0.

St. Gregory's (2-11-0) got on the board at 69:00, with Sara Sacky scoring on a direct kick from 20 yards out. Her shot got around the wall set up by Eastern, hitting the near side post and glancing into the goal. On the play, ENMU starting goaltender Amy Holtman (Fr., GK, Albuquerque, NM/Hope Christian HS) was injured, and had to be replaced by Amanda Vanlandingham (Fr., GK, Hobbs, NM/Hobbs HS). Holtman made six saves to earn her first victory of the season (1-0-0).

Parkans finished off her hat trick at 73:09. Lezlie Varner (Fr., F, Hobbs, NM/Hobbs HS) moved in on goal, getting MacAuley to come out of the net. Varner then knocked the ball to Parkans, who tapped it home for her sixth goal of the season.

The Zias are off until Friday, Oct. 8, when they head to Canyon, Texas for a 1 p.m. (MDT) contest with West Texas A&M University.