Box Score DENVER – After the Pioneers raced out to an early one goal lead, Cal got a hat trick from senior forward Katie Benz to send the Bears past DU 4-2.
Sophomore forward Kristen Hamilton (Littleton, Colo.) wasted no time opening up the scoring in the final match of the California Invitational after junior forward Kaitlin Bast (Centennial, Colo.) fed a beautiful ball down the middle of the field that Hamilton was able to control and slide past diving Cal goalkeeper Emily Kruger. Both teams would take their fair share of chances to add to the scoreboard, but the Pioneers would go on to take a 1-0 lead into the locker room.
Cal’s Benz would start the second half just as quickly as Hamilton started the first, scoring in the 47th minute to tie the score at 1-1.
Benz would add another goal in the 54th, and all of a sudden the Pioneers (4-1) found themselves down a goal for just the second time in the first five matches (Nebraska).
Lauren Battung made it 3-1 in the 63rd minute after taking control of a loose ball in the Pioneers six yard box, and sliding it into the back of the net.
In the 71st minute, sophomore midfielder Nicholette DiGiacomo (Golden, Colo.) scored her second goal in as many matches after receiving a long ball from freshman defender Sam Harder (Centennial, Colo.). The assist was Harder’s fourth of the season.
With the Pioneers down a goal, they were forced to send players forward which left them vulnerable in the back. DU would concede again in the 85th minute when Cal’s Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick sent a long ball to Benz who chipped the ball past the DU keeper to complete her hat trick and give the Bears (5-1) another two goal lead. Benz has accumulated eight goals in the first six matches of the season.
“Cal came out of halftime and threw everyone into attack and really put it on us in the first 15 minutes of the second half,” head coach Jeff Hooker said. “We made a valiant comeback and Nicky (DiGiacomo) almost tied it at three each, but a bad error when we were pressing forward cost us in the end
Junior goalkeeper Lara Campbell (Anchorage, Alaska) and the Pioneers back line were busy all afternoon with Cal holding a 19-12 advantage in shots, a 10-8 advantage in shots on goal and a 7-2 advantage in corners.
The Pioneers will have a week off between games before they travel back to Boulder, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 11 to take on in-state rival Colorado at 1 p.m. MT.
