BILLINGS, Mont. – Alycia Wright gave the Montana State University Billings women's soccer team the lead in the third minute Thursday at Yellowjacket Field, and went on to score twice more for her first career hat trick in a 4-1 win over Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponent Simon Fraser University.
 
The junior striker added a pair of goals in the 81st and 85th minutes to help put the game away, helping the Yellowjackets to their first GNAC victory of the season. Senior Jessica Spang scored her first goal of the season in the 15th minute, on an assist from Wright.


 
MSUB improved to 2-8-1 with the win and is now 1-4-1 in league play, while the Clan fell to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference action. "It was awesome to see the team put together a great performance over 90 minutes," said MSUB head coach Stephen Cavallo. "We started very strong scoring three minutes in. Alycia and Jessica were awesome, and it seemed like they were clicking on all cylinders. This is a result we have been working hard to get, and tomorrow we shift our focus to preparing for Saint Martin's on Saturday."
 
The 'Jackets jumped ahead in the opening five minutes on the third goal of the season by Wright. The play began developing in the defensive third for the 'Jackets, with Kalin Sandow pushing a pass forward to Jordan Devoto. From there, Spang curled a left-footed pass over the defense and into the box, where Wright took a touch and rolled a shot past SFU goalkeeper Priya Sandhu. 

"It felt pretty amazing putting some goals in, and I couldn't have done it without my team," Wright commented on her big day. "Having both me and Jessica out there together today was nice, and we just clicked."
 
Spang and Wright combined again for the second goal, which started with a heads up pass from Mackenzie Breeden into the box on the left. After Wright's initial shot was blocked by the defense, Spang was ready to roll home her first goal of the year from five yards away. "It was awesome for us to score in the first three minutes," said Spang. "It felt so good to get back out there and to score again, and I can't wait to get more shots into the back of the net."


 
Fresh into the game with eight minutes to play before the break, SFU's Claire Bareilles had one of the top scoring chances of the half. She got her head on a cross that beat MSUB's back line, but pushed the shot just wide of the far post.
 
It was one of 10 total shots by SFU in the opening half, but the Clan couldn't find the net as time wound down despite generating several opportunities. SFU dampened MSUB's spirits with a goal just before the halftime break, as a long, high shot by Tanis Cuthbert from the right wing found its way just over the goal line.
 
The 'Jackets continued to spread the field nicely in the second half, and more than doubled their shot total with seven over the final 45 minutes after just three in the first half. Sophomore midfielder Alexa

Iacolucci played an important role distributing passes throughout the match, an also played a full 90 minutes.
 
A throw-in by Shovlin with 10 minutes to go led to the third goal of the match, as Wright gained possession inside the box and had an initial shot blocked. With Sandhu's vision shielded by defenders, Wright curled a shot towards the far post and into the net.
 
A breakaway by Devoto down the right wing put an emphatic final touch on the match, as she calmly threaded a cross to a wide-open Wright inside the box. Keeping a one-touch finish low and just inside the goal post, Wright beat the keeper from six yards away to complete her hat trick. It marked Wright's second multi-goal performance of the season, after a two-goal effort in MSUB's 4-1 win over Black Hills State in September.
 
Defensively, Amanda Hemmen played a key role at center back with multiple strong tackles. She, Sandow, and Courteney Shovlin each turned in a 90-minute effort, and helped limit SFU's Emma Pringle, the No. 2 scorer in the NCAA with 11 goals this season. MSUB goalkeeper Erinn Harder came through with six saves in the game, protecting the net when the Clan did find the frame.
 
THE BUZZ: Wright was tabbed the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Wright has scored 13 goals in her career…MSUB is now 12-4 all-time against SFU and is 6-1 in games played in Billings…the 'Jackets have won 11 of the last 12 games between the teams…the goal was the ninth of Spang's career.
 
NEXT UP: The 'Jackets host Saint Martin's University in another GNAC match on Saturday afternoon at Yellowjacket Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m., and live video and live statistics will be available online through MSUB's Stretch Internet portal here.