Box Score TULSA, Okla. - Junior
Erin Bello recorded the first hat trick of her career with three goals, but it wasn't enough as Oral Roberts topped the South Dakota women's soccer team, 5-3, in Summit League action Saturday night in Tulsa, Okla. The contest ended the 2011 season for the Coyotes.
Bello (Fort Collins, Colo.) scored three times - her third goal gave the Coyotes a 3-2 lead in the 57th minute - and finished the season with a team-high five goals. Freshman Jess Nieman (Rochester Hills, Mich.) added an assist.
The game featured a combined 42 shots in the game - Oral Roberts had 22 and South Dakota had 20. Bello had a game-high nine shots, including five on goal, while freshman Lauren Bennett (Walton, Ky.) added five shots, including three on goal.
Freshman Kayla Wegman (Omaha, Neb.) started the game in net for the Coyotes and had a career-high six saves. Freshman Mackenzie Viktor (Fort Collins, Colo.) played the second half and had one save.
The contest was a seesaw battle for much of the night. Oral Roberts scored in the eighth minute, but Bello got the Coyotes on the board at the 11:36 mark to tie the game at 1-1.
The Golden Eagles scored again at the 26:41 mark and took a 2-1 lead into halftime. The Coyotes scored the first goal of the second half when Bello scored on a header off of corner kick by Nieman at the 53:39 mark to tie the game at 2-2.
The Coyotes took the lead at the 57:03 mark when Bello scored off of a free kick, making the score 3-2. However, Oral Roberts scored three unanswered goals over the final 26 minutes of the game to secure the 5-3 win.
South Dakota had a 15-11 edge in shots in the second half.
The Coyotes had no seniors on their active roster - Sami Spokas was a medical redshirt and did not play in 2010 - and have just two juniors. They had an NCAA Division I high of 21 freshmen on their roster.
