Currently ranked No. 17 in the nation, the women’s soccer team played like a team ready to make a run at the top 10 on Sunday in a 6-0 win over the underdog Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) Jaguars (4-7-3).

The Pioneers got the opening kickoff and never looked back. Just 14 minutes into the game, junior midfielder Anna Willis buried the ball in the net off of a beautiful crossing pass from senior forward Kristen Hamilton. Not 15 seconds later, Hamilton drew a penalty kick after being fouled in the box. Senior midfielder Nicolette DiGiacomo capitalized on the penalty kick and the Pioneers went up 2-0.

In the 30th minute, after 15 minutes of strong offensive pressure from the Pioneers, redshirt freshman midfielder Francesca Garzelloni converted on a header from a masterful cross by junior defenseman Shelby Wesley. The Pioneers were constantly on the doorstep of the IUPUI goal for the final 15 minutes of the half, and went into halftime with a 3-0 advantage.
After an explosive first half, the DU women came out and played a more conservative second half, with fewer long shots down the field. The Pioneers also prevented any real scoring chances by the Jaguars.

The first goal of the second half came in the 65th minute when a bouncing ball in the IUPUI box ended up at the feet of Kristen Hamilton who turned and fired a laser to the back of the net putting the Pios up 4-0 and all but assuring a victory.

Hamilton was not finished.

In the 67th minute, she found herself just outside the 15-yard box with two defenders between her and the goal. Hamilton faked a shot, freeing up space and then took two more touches before blasting a shot up and over the goalie’s head. Hamilton finished her day with two goals and one assist. She has a team-leading 12 goals on the season, along with nine assists.

The final goal of the game occurred when sophomore forward Taylor Ivins settled a pass from junior midfielder Nikki Pappalardo and bounced a shot off the goalie and in. 6-0 Pioneers.
The Pioneers outshot the Jaguars 30-5 with 12 of those shots on goal and taking five corner kicks to the Jaguars’ two.

The team improved to 12-1-1 on the year with their only loss coming in a tight contest against the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. This was the second home game for the Pioneers after a five game road trip that included victories over BYU, UC Santa Barbara and IPFW. The next game for the Pioneers, now 3-0 in the Summit League, comes against Summit League member Omaha on Friday Oct. 18 in Omaha, Neb.