Freshman
Pia DiGregorio recorded a hat trick in her first career start to lead the Muhlenberg women's soccer team to a 4-1 home win against Neumann.
With the win, the Mules stayed undefeated on the season at 3-0-1 - their best start since the 2019 team opened with four straight wins. They have scored 10 goals in their four wins; last year, they didn't net their 10th goal until their ninth game.
DiGregorio's hat trick was the first for Muhlenberg since Noemi DiCori put in three against Stockton in 2021. She is the first Mule freshman to record a hat trick since 2008.
Muhlenberg's last goal came on a penalty kick by sophomore
Jaidyn Falcone, who set a school record by becoming the first player in program history to score a goal in each of the first four games of a season.
DiGregorio's first goal, the first of her career, came after sophomore
Madelyn Hill won a corner kick. Junior
Devon Cheeseman took the corner and played a tight ball that slipped through the hands of the Neumann goalie and right to the foot of DiGregorio, who knocked it into the open net.
That was all the scoring in the first half, and when the Knights (1-2) converted a penalty kick just 73 seconds into the second half, the score was tied.
Muhlenberg took over the game from there, however, outshooting Neumann 18-1 the rest of the way.
The Mules came close to taking the lead back in the 47th minute in a frustrating sequence in which Falcone hit the crossbar on a free kick, DiGregorio's attempt off the rebound also pinged off the crossbar, and a follow-up shot by junior
Stella Del Sordo was saved off the line by a Neumann back.
Muhlenberg kept pushing and finally did regain its lead when Del Sordo passed out wide to Hill, who crossed across the box, past the goalie and to the waiting foot of DiGregorio.
DiGregorio hit the crossbar yet again six minutes later, but this time she put in her own rebound to complete the hat trick.
Falcone's record-setting penalty kick came just 21 seconds later after junior
Rose Larner (pictured above) was taken down in the box. The last time the Mules netted two goals in such a short period of time was in 2008, when they scored twice 15 seconds apart.
