Andy Quiceno hat trick leads Austin Peay Lady Govs Soccer to 6-1 blowout over Eastern Illinois Panthers

Written by Colby Wilson
APSU Sports Information

Charleston, IL – In eight previous meetings with Eastern Illinois, Austin Peay State University women’s soccer team scored two total goals. Friday, that trend was reversed.

Junior Andy Quiceno netted her first career hat-trick and the Lady Govs used a four-goal first half to throttle Eastern Illinois (4-11-0, 2-3-0 OVC), Friday. Austin Peay (7-7-0, 3-2-0 OVC) dismantled the host Panthers, 6-1, to get rise above the .500 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference for the first time this season.

“The girls played a great game, start to finish,” said head coach Kelley Guth. “Our possession was good and our finishing was excellent. We really came together as a team today.”

The Lady Govs started out slower than they have in recent games, failing to get off a shot in the game’s first 10 minutes, but quickly made up for it. Quiceno started the scoring with a 13th minute goal, collecting a pass from junior Natalia Ariza right in front of the net and burying it from three yards out for her season’s fourth goal.

Ariza would assist on senior Emily Perkins’ goal in the 19th minute, sending a cross from the top right of the box for Perkins’ fifth goal of the campaign. Natalia moved into fourth all-time in scoring with 32 points, and helped Perkins pass her on the all-time goals list with 12 career goals.

Natalia’s twin sister Tatiana scored her team-leading seventh goal this season in the 28th minute, taking a pass from Perkins and burying it to move her past Ashley Beck’s 2006 season points total and into fourth all-time with 18 points. Tatiana has now scored or assisted on a goal in three of the Lady Govs last four games.

Tatiana got her 19th point four minutes later when she assisted on Quiceno’s second goal, crossing it from the right and finding Quiceno’s foot from three yards out.

Austin Peay’s offense slowed in the second half, although Tatiana Ariza scored for a second time on a Perkins cross in the 59th minute to extend the lead, giving her eight goals this season — the fourth-best mark in school history.

Quiceno finished off the hat trick in the 79th minute, taking a cross from Tatiana Ariza and putting it away for her first career three-goal game as a Lady Gov. She’s the first Lady Gov with a hat trick since Ariza’s three-goal game against Union, August 30th, 2011.

“Andy has played great all season,” Guth said. “She had a great match today and it’s very exciting that she had the opportunity to get a hat trick. It’s very rewarding for her after all the hard work she’s put in this year, and it will definitely give her confidence moving forward.”

The six goals the Lady Govs scored were the program’s most ever in an OVC game, doubling the previous mark of three scored on five occasions, most recently on Sunday against Belmont.

Defensively, Austin Peay goalkeeper Haylee Shoaff made six saves for her straight victory. She just missed her third consecutive shutout, allowing an 88th minute goal to Hannah Miller to spoil the clean sheet.

“It feels like we’re putting the pieces together,” Guth said. “We’re putting ourselves in position to score early and often, and it’s paid off the last couple of games.”

The Lady Govs continue play in Illinois, Sunday, when they face SIU Edwardsville at 1:00pm (CT) at Korte Stadium. The match will be broadcast at OVCDigitalNetwork.com.