Emely van der Vliet joined exclusive company in UTM soccer history this evening, scoring three goals as the Skyhawks coasted to a 5-1 Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) victory over Eastern Kentucky.
Van der Vliet became just the second freshman in school history to secure a hat trick, joining UTM Hall of Famer Dani Myrick Devore (who accomplished the feat twice in 2002). Van der Vliet is only the seventh player in Skyhawk history to post a hat trick and first since OVC Offensive Player of the Year Amy McGivern tallied three goals against Austin Peay on Oct. 14, 2018.
Not to be overshadowed was teammate Jill Hildreth, who knocked in a pair of goals of her own tonight. That marked the fourth multi-goal performance in the two-year UTM career of the redshirt junior forward out of Germantown, Tennessee.
The Skyhawks (5-3-1), who entered this evening with seven goals on the season, exploded offensively for the full 90 minutes. As a team, UTM outshot the visiting Colonels by a 24-17 margin, setting a season-high in overall attempts and shots on goal (13).
In goal, Erica Myers was nearly perfect as the senior from Holland, Ohio nabbed eight saves while logging all 90 minutes. Her only blemish came in the 26th minute after the Skyhawks had already claimed a 3-0 advantage.
It certainly didn’t take long for UTM to get on the scoreboard as the first shot of the match was true. An Eastern Kentucky foul set up a free-kick just outside the box and van der Vliet took care of business, giving the Skyhawks a 1-0 edge just 5:43 into the contest.
A little under seven minutes later, van der Vliet struck once again as this time she received a feed from Alice Adams to beat Colonel goalkeeper Billie Clark one-on-one. That extended UTM’s lead out to 2-0 in the 13th minute.
Hildreth got in on the action soon thereafter, controlling a loose ball that glanced off the fingertips of Clark in the 20th minute. Hildreth buried the rebound for her second consecutive match with a goal while Bella Roberts was credited with her eighth career assist.
The Colonels (4-5) managed to score after Audrey Anderson emerged from a crowd in front of the goal to tap it in from three yards out. That goal made the score 3-1 at the halftime intermission.
Myers was put to the test in the final 45 minutes as she passed it with flying colors. She made saves in the 47th, 62nd, 74th and 75th minutes, helping protect the Skyhawks’ 3-1 lead.
Hildreth tacked on an insurance goal in the 79th minute, sprinting nearly half the length of the pitch to outduel Clark one-on-one. That marked the third goal of the season for Hildreth.
In a span of 41 seconds, Myers made her final two saves of the night – bringing her second-half save tally up to six.
Van der Vliet put the exclamation point on UTM’s victory, sending a low liner past a diving Clark in the 85th minute to reach history. The goal bumped her season tally up to six, which is now tied with SIUE’s MacKenzie Litzsinger for the OVC lead.
The Skyhawks will look for their fourth straight win and clinch a berth into the upcoming OVC Championship tournament when they host Southeast Missouri for Senior Night. The regular-season finale is set for Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m.
