Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Freshman Lauren Gollnick scored her first collegiate hat trick on Wednesday as the streaking Dominican University of California women's soccer team downed Fresno Pacific University 3-1 in a Pacific West Conference game at Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex.

Gollnick, who tallied 21 goals in her three-year varsity career at Del Oro High School, netted her third goal of the game and fourth of the season for the Penguins (4-2-1, 5-4-1) with 27 minutes remaining in the game against the Sunbirds (4-2-3, 4-4-4). The victory allowed Dominican, which has lost only once in its last seven games, to jump ahead Fresno Pacific in the PacWest standings.

“I'm so excited,” Gollnick said. “I like to assist. It's so weird. I feel sometimes that if I pass it off to teammates that they have a better opportunity to score.”

Though Gollnick's dominant foot is her right, she scored two of her goals on Wednesday with her left foot.

“She's an interested attacking player,” said Jon Delano, Director of Soccer at Dominican. “We used to kld her when we were recruiting her in high school about all of her assists and we wanted her to get more of a selfish streak.”

With her three goals, Gollnick took the team lead this season in points scored (12) and tied Julianna Bratsberg, a graduate student, and freshman Stephanie Owens for the team lead in goals.

Sophomore outside back Megan Hanson assisted on Gollick's third goal. She combined with defenders Kendra Corsberg, Emily Whitaker and Kathryn Ripple plus midfielders Jessica Sanchez and Alex Moran to protect Lady Penguins goalkeeper Megan Herring from dangerous scoring opportunities. Herring, who is first in the PacWest in save percentage (.930) and second in the nation in NCAA Division II behind Chelsea Parise of 6th-ranked Grand Valley State in Michigan, needed to make only two saves in the game. In her last seven games, Herring has made 48 saves and allowed only three goals.

The teams, who played to a scoreless double overtime tie in Fresno last week, traded goals in the first half on Wednesday and both of them were a thing of beauty.

 Gollnick's first goal was set up by a perfect side header by Bratsberg. Gollnick touched downfield then launched a left-footed strike from about 35 yards from the left side that soared over Fresno Pacific goalkeeper Sarah King and into the back corner of the net on the far post. That came at the 16:52 mark and it was Bratsberg's 10th career assist and her 10th point this season.
The Sunbirds pulled even about 17 minutes later when defender Sara Vega found herself unmarked from about 25 yards out and she lifted a shot that crawled under the crossbar and just over the hands of a leaping Megan Herring.

The Penguins came right back and regained the lead with an odd goal. Gollick drilled a right-footed corner kick from the left side that King never touched. Gollnick's teammates, Mary Wheeler and Kaitlynn Baptista may have distracted King as Gollnick's corner spun inside the near post.

“Obviously she showed she could score goals for a variety of ways,” Delano said. “I was just really pleased with the team's overall performance today.”

Dominican's next game is Saturday in Arizona against Grand Canyon University. The Lady Penguins return home on Thursday to play Academy of Art. Game time at Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex is 3:00 p.m. Live coverage will be available at www.dominicanathletics.com/live.