COLCHESTER, Vt. – Senior Dana Evans scored her first career hat trick to lead Mansfield to a 7-1 win over Southern Connecticut State on Sunday in the final game of the Delta Hotel Classic.
 
The Mounties won both of their weekend games in Vermont to open the season 2-0 for the second consecutive year.
 
For the second straight game, Evans put the Mounties on the board early in the first quarter, scoring an unassisted goal in the sixth minute. And just like yesterday, Evans found senior Larissa Motts minutes later who finished past the keeper to give to Mounties a 2-0 lead. Evans was not finished with the offensive output however, scoring her second of the quarter on a well-struck ball via a Caitlin Beauduy assist in the 12^th minute.
 
Mansfield increased its lead to 4-0 when Christie Buyer scored her first goal of the game on pass to the middle of the box from Motts.
 
Mansfield's defense also pulled its weight in the half, limiting the Owls to two shots and two penalty corners.
 
The scoring party continued in the second half as Larissa Motts notched her second of the game and third of the season in the 41^st minute when she took a pass at mid field and dribbled forward to beat the keeper.
 
Five minutes later, Evans registered her first career hat trick when she took a Meghan Griffin pass in the middle of the circle and beat the keeper left. It's the first hat trick for a Mountie since Brianna Velepec had one in a 5-3 win over Newberry (S.C.) on Nov. 2, 2013.
 
Christie Buyer scored her second of the game and third of the season in the 50^th minute to lift the Mounties to a 7-0 advantage.
 
SCSU was able to get on the board with a late goal in the 55^th minute from Karley Welles. Madison Wilinsky prevented another Owl goal with her defensive save in the 59^th minute.
 
Mansfield outshot the Owls 23-12 with 17 of those attempts going on frame.
 
With her three goals and assist today, Evans leads the PSAC in points with 12 and goals with five. Motts and Buyer rank in the top five in the conference in goals with three apiece and Griffin tops the conference in assists with three.
 
Mansfield leads the PSAC in goals (12), assists (7), and shots on goal (42) and is second in total shots with 57.
 
The Mounties host IUP in the home opener at Karl Van Norman Field on Wednesday.