HATTIESBURG, Miss.- WCU continued their hot streak in front of goals as they put #16 U.T. Southern to the sword, decimating 8-1.
 
"I'm really happy with our performance today" said Head Coach Danny Owens.  "The girls came out ready to play from the start and really made the most of their chances"
 
The Lady Crusaders came out all guns blazing to start the game. WCU found themselves 3 goals to the good, having scored 4 before halftime.
 
Carey thought they'd opened the scoring within the first 6 minutes. WCU worked the ball well down the right before Kokona Nishikawa found Virginia Mesa on the edge of the box. Mesa took a touch and fired but saw her shot blocked. The rebound fell through to Karen Vilau who toe poked the ball under the onrushing Stephanie Hodgson. Unfortunately for Vilau, the assistant referee had his flag up to deny her for offside.
 
Despite the early heartbreak, it didn't take long for the Lady Crusaders to get their go-ahead goal. Mesa played a delicate chip over the top for Lesley Vasquez to run in behind. Despite the uproar from the Firehawk bench, referee Ivan Cardona waived away claims of a handball as Vasquez brought the ball under control and squared the ball to Alessia Navarro for the easy tap in.
 
After playing a key role in the opening goal, Mesa turned goal scorer for the second goal. Lauren Entremont excellently turned her defender with a deft flick off the outside of her foot and drove inside. Mesa's run in behind drew the defender away for Entremont to play in to Navarro's feet. Navarro then played in Mesa who took a touch and thundered her shot off the crossbar and into the net.
 
WCU got comfortable and gifted UTS a lifeline back into the game 2 minutes later. Sloppy play from WCU gifted the firehawks a corner. Karla Montiel took the corner before the ball was cleared and recycled back to Montiel out on the UTS right. Montiel sent a lofted cross into the box for Millie Rayner to attack and head into the goal to half the deficit.
 
The Lady Crusaders took that goal personally and went on the war path. With 5 minutes left in the half, WCU restored their two-goal lead. Tidy footwork from Sophie Magee in the corner allowed her to beat her defender and drive into the penalty area. Magee pulled the ball back to Raquel Diaz who then found Vilau. Vilau touched the ball onto her weaker left foot and fired past Hodgson for Carey's third goal of the game.
 
With a little over a minute left in the half, Carey had all but put the game to bed. Natoya Atkinson whipped a corner straight over Hodgson in the UTS net, and despite the recovering defender's best efforts, sent the cross straight into the goal to give the Lady Crusaders a three-goal lead heading into the break.
 
The Carey onslaught did not let up in the second half as they smelt blood. Navarro got the second half festivities started in spectacular fashion. Mesa found Navarro 25 yards out from goal. Navarro touched the ball out her feet and sent a daisy-cutter straight into the bottom corner of the UTS goal.
 
12 minutes later Mesa grabbed her second of the game. Vasquez found Mesa inside the UTS box, and with a drop of the shoulder, touched the ball past the defender onto her right foot and fired past Hodgson for Carey's sixth.
 
WCU put the icing on the cake of an emphatic win with 2 goals in 2 minutes. Diaz got herself on the scoresheet and Atkinson had her 2^nd as both scored from distance. Diaz scored first as her shot from the center of the UTS was rifled straight over the UTS keeper. Atkinson then sent a cross into the box from wide on their right-hand side that sailed straight over the keeper and into the net.
 
WCU are back in action Saturday at Danny Owens Field. They host Blue Mountain Christian University at 1:30 PM.