Behind a first half hat trick from Morgan Collins, the Centre women’s soccer team rolled to a 5-1 victory over in-state rival Transylvania in the 2011 season opener Thursday in Danville.

It didn’t take long for the Colonels to get on the scoreboard as Collins, a sophomore from Utica, Mich. scored off a corner kick by Mary Taylor Kersey (Winchester, Ky.) five minutes into the match. Just three minutes later, Collins again scored on a corner kick by Kersey, this time from the right side. By the time Collins added a third unassisted goal, Centre was out to a commanding 3-0 lead only 16 minutes into the match.

Later in the half, Collins rattled the crossbar, nearly missing on a fourth score, only to see Transylvania answer on the other end when Amy Ghibaudy fired a long shot that got past the outstretched arms of Center goalkeeper Kelli Lenz (Louisville, Ky.). Ghibaudy’s goal would be the only one Lenz allowed on the night though, as she went on to save six Transylvania attempts compared with three for Pioneers keeper Kara Hansel.

After Transylvania’s lone goal, Centre’s Aubrey Holle (Fort Wayne, Ind.) added another off a third assist from Kersey to put the Colonels up 4-1 going into halftime. Though Centre dictated play for much of the first half, the teams played evenly for the most part after halftime, with the only score being a goal by Rachel Brannen (Fort Mitchell, Ky.) off a late free kick to give the Colonels the 5-1 victory.

Centre outshot Transylvania 13-9 overall after holding a 10-6 shot advantage in the first half. The Colonels took five corner kicks to the Pioneers three.

With the win, Centre moves to 1-0 on the season, dropping Transylvania to 0-1 in the first match for both teams. The Colonels return to action Saturday when they host Mount St. Joseph at 7 p.m.

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