Oakland, Calif. – Freshman forward Melinda Kleppe (Vista, Calif./Rancho Buena Vista H.S.) scored a three-goal hat trick and led Arizona Christian University women’s soccer (2-4-0) to a 4-2 victory over Mills College (0-7-0) in Oakland, California, Saturday, Sept. 24.  ACU snapped a three-match losing streak and has defeated Mills twice this season.

Some of the best news for a ACU women’s soccer team is that it goes 10 days before its next match on Tuesday, October 4, against Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, at 5:00 p.m. at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex in Phoenix, its first home match of the season.  Arizona Christian coach Carl Cecil’s available players this weekend numbered just 11 due to injuries and illness.

ACU found itself down 1-0 when Mills’ forward Kehontas Rowe scored in the 12th minute off an assist by midfielder Katherine Chavez-Esquivel, however ACU’s leading scorer, freshman forward Chelsea Ruland (Tucson, Ariz./Pusch Ridge Christian Academy) tied the match, 1-1, with an unassisted, one-on-one effort against Mills goalkeeper Shauna Corbitt.  Ruland has scored 4 goals and 3 assists for 11 points in five matches this season.

Kleppe put ACU ahead, 2-1, with an unassisted effort in the 40th minute, just five minutes prior to halftime, and made the score 3-1 with another unassisted goal in the 70th minute.  After Mills’ Chelsea Satterwhite narrowed ACU’s lead to 3-2 with a goal in the 78th minute, Kleppe capped ACU’s scoring with her third goal of the match and fourth of the season with just one minute left in regulation time.

ACU outshot Mills, 18-15, and Mills led 7-5 in corner kicks.  ACU’s freshman goalkeeper Arias-Castro (Tolleson, Ariz./La Joya Community High School) totaled seven saves on nine Mills shots on goal, and Corbitt saved nine of 13 ACU shots on goal.

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