ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Junior Grace Sigler (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, Ill.) had a hat trick Friday to lead Augustana to a season-opening 9-0 victory over Lawrence at Thorson-Lucken Field. The Vikings exploded for three goals in the first four minutes of the second half to break open a match that was 2-0 at intermission.
 
Junior Karissa Gottardo (Jacobs HS, Algonquin, Ill.) got the hosts on the board in the eighth minute, getting free on the right side to beat Lawrence keeper Sarah Yochem. Sigler added her first goal of the match in minute 17 to make it 2-0. Augustana got off five more shots in the first half, but put just one on frame and the score remained 2-0 at the break.
 
Less than two minutes into the second half, senior Lauren Muzzalupo (St. Charles North HS, St. Charles, Ill.) chased down a ball in the left corner of the Vikings' offensive end. She played it back to classmate Anna Fank (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.), who lofted a cross that Sigler finished off with a header that put her side up 3-0.
 
Freshman Maeve Sheridan (Mother McAuley HS, Chicago, Ill.) scored off a Gottardo assist a minute later and then assisted, along with Muzzalupo, on Sigler's third goal of the day in the 49th minute.
 
Cameron Kekelik (Munster HS, Munster, Ind.) assisted on a goal by freshman Molly Fank (Wheaton Warrenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) in the 56th minute to make it 6-0. Unassisted goals by senior Cora Jacobsen (Palatine HS, Palatine, Ill.) and junior Grace Bradley-Leon (Naperville Central HS, Naperville, Ill.) in minutes 61 and 69, respectively, made it 8-0 before Bradley Leon assisted on a goal by sophomore Anna Bross (Batavia HS, Aurora, Ill.) in the 85th minute to close out the day's scoring.
 
Junior Sydney Ion (Aquinas HS, La Crosse, Wis.) faced just one shot in her 61-plus minutes in goal.
 
Augustana finished with a 29-2 edge in shots, putting 18 on frame. The Vikings also led 9-0 in corners.
 
On Saturday, September 7, the Vikings travel to Fulton, Missouri to face Westminster in a 7:00 p.m. match.