MONTGOMERY, W. Va. – Kaitlyn Abdon put the team on her back.
The junior from Florence, Ky., who scored just two goals in her first two seasons at the University of Pikeville combined, put on a clinic Monday, netting a hat trick to push the Bears past West Virginia Tech 3-2.
Four of the five goals tallied in the high-scoring affair came in the first half. The Golden Bears (2-6-2) struck first in the 10th minute as Chreshana Jones converted a penalty kick after a foul , but Abdon scored the equalizer 12 minutes later and was just warming up.
The go-ahead score came in the same 22nd minute as Abdon fired in a shot off a free kick, then made it a 3-1 UPIKE lead in the 33rd minute after a nearly five-minute span with neither team getting off a shot. The Golden Bears added a goal by Ruby Bingham with seven minutes to play, but failed to take another shot the rest of the way.
West Virginia Tech outshot the Bears 14-11, including an 11-8 advantage in shots on goal. UPIKE goalkeeper Chelsea Schulte collected eight saves in a full 90 minutes, while Martha Reyna collected four saves for West Virginia Tech.
Abdon's hat trick is the first for the Bears since Carmen Koster pulled off the feat on Aug. 30, 2013 in last season's opener. Abdon leads UPIKE with 10 goals through 11 games this season.
UPIKE (8-3) is back in action at 4 p.m. ET on Thursday, hosting Campbellsville at the Bob Amos Complex.
