Sept. 28, 2007

Box Score

BERKELEY, Calif. - Freshman forward Alex Morgan netted three goals to propel No. 22 California to a 4-0 victory over Saint Mary's Friday afternoon at Edwards Stadium. The Golden Bears improved to 7-2 overall with their seventh shutout of the season, while the Gaels dropped to 4-3-2.

"I thought today was our best performance of the season in terms of our offense," said Cal head coach Neil McGuire. "We created a lot of good chances, and we played with the best discipline we've shown so far. As a result, we created real opportunities from the middle of the field and from the flanks, which is important to have."

Morgan's hat trick is the first by a Cal player since Sierra Schlesinger accomplished the feat in a 5-0 road win over Pacific Sept. 26, 2004. Morgan almost equaled the school record of four goals, but her shot less than four minutes into the game went off the right post.

"Alex has had a fairly difficult last six months with an ACL tear and an ankle injury at the start of preseason," said McGuire. "This is a testament to her work ethic. This week she did individual practice on goal scoring with the coaches. The work paid off, and she's deserving of these goals for sure."

Morgan, who now has four goals overall, sent Cal into the locker room with a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal in the 21st minute. Senior midfielder Caroline Lea's shot wasn't saved cleanly by Saint Mary's goalkeeper, Tara Larson, and Morgan easily knocked in the rebound.

Cal scored its final three goals in a seven-minute stretch of the second half, beginning with an unassisted goal by Morgan in the 53rd minute. The Diamond Bar, Calif., product dribbled around the goalkeeper and tapped the ball into the open net.

Lea gave the Bears a 3-0 edge when she headed in a shot in the 56th minute for her third goal of 2007. Senior midfielder Caitlin Hannegan registered the assist, as it was her shot that was deflected out by the goalkeeper that led to the goal.

Morgan capped the scoring in the 60th minute after also capitalizing on a shot that wasn't properly cleared by Saint Mary's. Junior defender Nkechi Kanu earned an assist on the play.

Cal held a 23-5 shot advantage, including a 12-2 edge in shots on goal. Morgan led the Bears with seven shots (four on goal), and Lea launched five shots, all of which were on goal.

Sophomore Gina Pellegrini and freshman Jorden Kussmann each played a half and recorded a save apiece to help Cal earn its seventh shutout win.

The Bears close out their non-conference slate at No. 1 Santa Clara Sunday, Sept. 30, at 1 p.m. at Buck Shaw Stadium.

Cal Women's Soccer Result
		1	2	F
Saint Mary's	0	0	0
#22 California	1	3	4

Scoring Summary
California	Alex Morgan (Caroline Lea)	20:50
California	Alex Morgan 		        52:13
California	Caroline Lea (Caitlin Hannegan)	55:28
California	Alex Morgan (Nkechi Kanu)	59:17

Shots: Cal 7 (Alex Morgan 7), SMC 5 (Danielle Spann 2).
Shots on Goal: Cal 12 (Caroline Lea 5), SMC 2 (2 players with 1 each).
Saves: Cal 2 (Gina Pellegrini 1, Jorden Kussmann 1), SMC 8 (Tara Larson 7, Team 1).
CK: Cal 3, SMC 1.
Fouls: Cal 13, SMC 15.
Offsides: Cal 2, SMC 1.
Yellow Cards: Cal none, SMC (Jessica Menzhuber 54:29).
Red Cards: None.
Records: Cal 7-2, SMC 4-3-2.
Attendance: 420.