WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- Carolina University Women's Soccer hosted Grace Christian University on Thursday, September 23rd. The Tigers entered the match ranked #3 in the NCCAA DII poll, but the Bruins were determined to defend their home field. Natasha Mariam made this very clear as she scored 2 goals in the first 10 minutes of the game! Grace Christian did settle in and cut the lead to 2-1 with a goal in the 29th minute. However, the Bruins responded with a goal at 35:04 to push the lead back to 3-1. In the 43rd minute, the Bruins received a penalty kick to be taken by Savannah Placie. It appeared to be a goal, but the try had to be taken again due to infringement. Placie was still able to convert for her first goal of the season and a 4-1 lead going into the half. Again, the Tigers would not go away and scored right out of the break to bring the score to 2-4. Grace Christian continued to apply pressure, but the Bruins closed the door with goals in the 63rd and 79th minute to take the 6-2 victory.

Natasha Mariam's hat trick was the story of this game. Mariam scored goals at 3:16, 9:02, and 62:13 to bring her season total to team-high 7. Sheila Aguilar, Savannah Placie, and Angie Hernandez all found the back of the net and recorded their first goals of the season. Cameron Dubuc and Hayden Pacheco were credited with assists. The Bruin defense looked strong and Zee Ventura played all 90 minutes in goal with 3 saves on just 9 total shots.

Carolina University Women's Soccer has now won 3 of the last 4 matches and moved to a 3-5 record on the season. The Bruins will have a little time off before playing again on Wednesday, October 6th at St. Andrews University. Stay tuned to Carolina University social media and cubruins.com for game times and updates!