Fox Nets Hat Trick in Win vs. Portland St.

September 6, 2015

Senior center back Melanie Fox registered her first career hat trick to lead the 23rd-ranked Long Beach State women's soccer team to a 6-0 win over Portland State Sunday afternoon at George Allen Field.

Fox scored in the 52nd, 60th, and 90th minutes, with all three coming off set pieces. Her hat trick was the first by a 49er since Nadia Link in 2012.

"Mel has been training very well and I think that she really attacked the ball today," head coach Mauricio Ingrassia said. "She deserves it. She's a senior and is seeing things a lot clearer now. Credit also goes to associate head coach Jeff Joyner who works on set pieces with our team and we were finally able to pay him back. We've been at it for a long time so I'm very happy."

In addition to Fox's three goals, senior Vania Robles (3'), junior Mimi Rangel (29') and freshman Alyssa Alvarez (63') each found the back of the net. Sophomore Jessica Vincent contributed two helpers, while Rangel, freshman Rocio Rodriguez, junior Celeste Dominguez and sophomore Allie Emmons were also credited with an assist. Rangel now has 11 career assists, which puts her in a tie for 10th in the school record books.

The Beach (4-1-1) took a season-high 21 shots, with 14 coming on frame. Robles and Fox led the way with career-highs of seven and four attempts, respectively.

Junior Ashton McKeown and sophomore Cynthia Diaz combined to post the 49ers' third consecutive shutout and fourth of the year. McKeown had one save, while Diaz had two.

Long Beach State matched a program single-game record in goals and largest margin of victory. LBSU also won 6-0 at Cal Poly and vs. Saint Mary's in 2011.

The home team wasted no time in taking the lead as Robles scored on the first attempt of the game at the 2:42 mark. It was the 49ers' fastest goal of the season. Emmons sent a cross into the box and after a misclear by the Vikings' defense, Rangel collected the ball and found Robles to her right, who sent a one-touch shot to the back of the net.

In the 29th minute, Rangel was on the receiving end of a beautiful play. Just over a minute after entering the game, freshman Jordan Sanders started the sequence, making a run up the middle of the field. It was then a give-and-go game with Vincent eventually getting the ball to Rodriguez, who tapped it to a streaking Rangel for the score. It was Rangel's first goal of the season and ninth of her career.

The Beach held Portland State to just one shot in the first half.

Long Beach State continued to build on its 2-0 lead in the second period, starting at the 51:05 mark when Fox headed a Vincent corner kick to the near post. Just under nine minutes later, Fox struck again on a similar play. This time, Dominguez lofted a free kick from about 25 yards out into the box where Fox beat her defender to the ball and headed it past a diving PSU keeper.

Fox came out of the game after her second tally, but that didn't slow LBSU down as Emmons sent a lead pass up the left side of the pitch to Alvarez, who delivered her first collegiate goal at the 62:43 mark.

Fox re-entered the game in the 84th minute with her coaches telling her to go get the hat trick, and that she did. With 36 seconds left in the game, a corner kick from Vincent was knocked around in the box before landing at the foot of Fox, who drilled the ball to the lower right netting.

Portland State (1-4-0) had four players finish with one shot each, while goalkeeper Angela Haluska had eight saves.