OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (Sept. 24, 2016) - A Molloy women's soccer player had never scored more than three goals or totaled more than seven points in a single game. In fact, the last time a Molloy women's soccer player had not collected a hat trick since October of 2010 when Nicole Valentine did so against Saint Thomas Aquinas College---one of two hat tricks she recorded that season. However, history was made and records were shattered on Saturday (Sept. 24) in Old Westbury. Sophomore Katlyn Merino (Corona, N.Y.) had a four-goal game and an eight-point effort, factoring in all goals as the Lions's offense went hungry no longer, feasting on NYIT to the tune of a 4-1 victory at President's Stadium.

Merino was buzzing from the get-go as she took the first shot of the contest, a header that was turned aside by NYIT keeper Jessie Sabal (Valley Stream, N.Y.) in the first fifty seconds. It would not take long for Molloy (2-4-1, 1-0-0 ECC) to grab the opening marker of the contest against the Bears (3-2, 0-1 ECC) as Merino collected a rebound off an attempt by senior forward Danielle Valente (South Setauket, N.Y.) and peppered it into the top-right corner of the net for her first career goal as a Lion. That goal came in the sixth minute of play but NYIT got the equalizer a short while later. Off of a corner kick in the 18th minute by Kristin Muir (Massapequa Park, N.Y.), senior midfielder Alexis Panariello (North Massapequa, N.Y.) flicked a shot over the head of goalie Brianna Wilson (Levittown, N.Y.) to put the hosts back on level terms. 

Molloy was only level with the competition for a few more minutes. After several shot attempts by Samantha Mendes (Mineola, N.Y.), Merino went top-right once again to beat Sabal for her second goal to give the Lions a 2-1 lead in the 21st minute of play. The advantage stayed that way for the maroon and white going into halftime, but the game could have easily been a 3-1 margin on account of a strong-winded effort by Merino and Amy D'Eloia (East Northport, N.Y.) at the tail end of the first act of play. In the 41st minute, Merino rifled a shot off the crossbar; D'Eloia played the carom well and headed the ball towards net as Sabal made a sprawling effort to save it. A rebound by Merino would be cleared off the line by the NYIT defense, keeping the sophomore off the scoreboard for the time being.

Whether angry about the missed chance at the end of the first half or just having the game of her life, Merino came out of the gate in the second half and immediately scored her third goal of the game within 35 seconds of play in the final frame. Valente again received credit for the assist as the Lions finally doubled their lead. Though no other goals were scored until late in the game, the Lions had incredible efforts from Mendes, Valente, Courtney Noakes (Levittown, N.Y.) and Allie Rainey (Smithtown, N.Y.) that were either parried away by Sabal or the New York Tech defenders. In the 89th minute, Marino struck for history as she collected her fourth goal off of an assist by Mendes to punctuate an emphatic statement.

Merino ended the game with seven shots---six shots on goal---and a program-record four-goal game as she accounted for exactly half of her team's shots on goal. Mendes continued to hover and hound the net with three shots on goal but the assist was her first point as a Lion. Wilson made four saves for the maroon and white in the win; Sabal, in the other net, had six saves for NYIT.

The Molloy College women's soccer team returns home on Friday (Sept. 30) for a 4 p.m. mid-afternoon matinee against East Coast Conference foe Roberts Wesleyan at RVC Sports Complex to kick off Homecoming festivities for the Molloy campus.