Philadelphia, PA – Junior midfielder Ella Cadigan set a new program single-game record with four assists and Justyce Hollenbach recorded her first career hat trick as the La Salle women's soccer team outlasted Howard for a 7-4 win at McCarthy Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
With the win, the Explorers improved to 2-3-2 on the season, while Howard fell to 0-3-2. La Salle's seven goals are the program's most since a 9-0 win at Delaware State on Feb. 22, 2021.
Cadigan broke the program's single-game assist record with four assists (15th, 29th, 80th, and 89th minutes), marking her second multi-assist game of the season. Cadigan currently leads the Atlantic 10 with seven assists, four ahead of the next closest player. Cadigan broke the record with a free kick in the 89th minute, which was headed into to the back of the next by Alexis Garcia.
Before today's game four different players had recorded three assists in a game. On Feb. 22, 2021, Madison McCready became the fourth player in program history with three assists in a game.
Hollenbach, a graduate student forward, became the first La Salle player to record a hat trick since Garcia recorded three goals in a 5-1 win at George Washington last season. Hollenbach scored in the 30th, 57th, and 80th minutes. She has produced five goals this season, all in her last two appearances, and is now tied for first in the Atlantic 10 in goals.
Garcia and Kameron Rase each scored their first two goals of the season, while sophomore midfielder Anna Corsanico produced the second-multi-assist game of her career.
After Howard struck first on a penalty kick in the 14th minute, Garcia responded with the equalizer in the 15th minute for her first goal of the season.
La Salle added three goals in five minutes as Rase scored her first two goals of the year in the 29th and 34th minutes, with Hollenbach's tally in the 30th minute sandwiched in between.
In the 57th minute, Hollenbach extended La Salle's lead to 5-1, but Howard rallied off three straight goals, scoring in the 68th, 70th, and 79th minutes, to cut the deficit to 5-4.
Hollenbach scored in the 80th minute to give La Salle a two-goal cushion before Garcia added the final insurance goal for the Explorers.
It is believed to be the first time in program history where the Explorers had three different players record two or more goals in a game, while two additional players each recorded two or more assists in a game.
The Explorers held a 26-16 advantage in shots, including a 15-5 edge in shots on target.
La Salle will travel to take on in-state foe Lehigh on Thursday, Sept. 10. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Ulrich Sports Complex in Bethlehem.
