Maya Hansen had a hat trick in the first half and an assist as the Minnesota Aurora women's soccer team crushed Racine Kenosha County Third Coast 10-0 at TCO Stadium in Eagan in the USL W League.
The victory, before 4,531 fans, improves the Aurora's record to 3-0; RKC, a new team in the Heartland Division which has been outscored 23-1, falls to 0-4.
Hansen started the scoring in the third minute off an assist from Cat Rapp — a duo that has combined for 24 points (nine goals and six assists).
"It feels really good to come together as a team and put all of the talent, hard work, and grit together, seeing it all pay off," Hansen said.
Hansen is now the Minnesota Aurora's all-time leading goal scorer in its two-year franchise history with 10, surpassing Morgan Turner's eight. Hansen's hat trick is only the second for an Aurora player. Turner had the first in a 5-1 victory over Green Bay Glory on July 9, 2022.
Five players found the back of the net for the first time this season: Arianna Del Moral in the 36th minute, Morgan Stone in the 44th, Sophie French in the 49th, Tianna Harris in the 53rd, and Kaitlyn MacBean in the 63rd.
Hannah Adler also scored in the 56th minute to round out the 10-0 victory. Aurura has outscored their opponents 19-0 in their first three games.
The goals by Del Moral, Stone, and Adler came from distance while center back Harris found the back of the net off of a corner kick.
"It's nice to see a variety in goals and goal scorers," Aurora coach Nicole Lukic said. "It helps us as we continue through the season to make players feel good, that they can be the person to score on any given night.
"Every game we continue to sharpen things up. We're continuing to find those little tweaks and bring them into our next game."
The 10-goal margin is the largest in the USL W League through the 2023 season.
Minnesota Aurora's next game is Saturday at Rochester FC.
U's Pease, Krapf honored
Pitcher Autumn Pease and catcher Taylor Krapf of the Gophers were named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's All-America second and third teams, respectively.
Pease was 27-7 her first season, with a 1.46 ERA, nine shutouts and 273 strikeouts.
Krapf, a sophomore who transferred from Duke, led the team with 14 home runs and 48 RBI. She had a .342 average and a slugging percentage of .671.
Six NSIC ballplayers on region first team
Six NSIC baseball players were named to the ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Central Region first team.
Three of them played for Minnesota Crookston, including Alex Koep, picked the Region Pitcher of the Year. Also honored were Golden Eagles Mike Hallquist, a third baseman, and Jake Hjelle, an outfielder.
The other region first-team selections were outfielder John Nett and utility player Sam Riola, both of St. Cloud State, and pitcher Seth Miller of Augustana.
Borgen wins Senior Open
Despite a bogey on his 36th hole, Chris Borgen, a 51-year-old pro who plays out of Lost Spur Golf Course, shot a 2-under 142 at Keller Golf Course in Maplewood to win the 39th Minnesota Senior Open.
He had 71s both rounds and won by one stroke over four golfers.
"I had been practicing mainly for senior tournaments when I turned 50," Borgen said. "…Playing with the young guys is tough because they hit it 50 yards by me. I figured I could compete with these guys a little bit better this week."
Tying for second, at 143, were four-time Minnesota Golf Association Senior Men's Player of the Year Jerry Rose, defending champion Derek Stendahl, Richard Frieburg and Joel B. Johnson.
Etc.
- RPI senior forward Maddy Peterson will transfer to St. Cloud State for her fifth season. Peterson, a 2019 graduate of Princeton High School, had six goals last season and has already signed with the Huskies.
