FENTON, Mo. - Webster University junior forward Melissa Kasper (Oswego, Ill./Oswego) recorded her first career hat trick en route to helping the Gorloks to its 9-0 win over MacMurray College in its St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference opener at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. 

Kasper's hat trick was the 53rd in the program's 20-year history and the first since both Janel Bond and Allison Ferguson each recorded three goal matches apiece against MacMurray on Oct. 8, 2016 to help Webster to a 13-0 home win. In addition to the hat trick, Kasper also recorded three assists in the match and totaled nine points, which is tied for the sixth most in a match in school history. 

With the win, Webster improves to 8-2-1 overall and 1-0-0 in the SLIAC, while MacMurray falls to 2-7-0 overall and 0-1-0 in the league. Webster has now won its SLIAC opener for the 20th consecutive season. 

In addition to Kasper's three goals and three assists, sophomore forward Joi Wilson (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) added two goals and two assists for a total of six points, while four other Gorloks recorded a goal to seal the program's 299th all-time victory.

For the match, the Gorloks had nine goals, took 50 shots and had 28 shots on goal, all of which are season highs. The nine goals were the most scored by the Gorloks since scoring 12 goals in a 12-0 win last season at home against Eureka College. 

Senior forward Nicole Bascio (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) got the scoring started in the opening six minutes of the match as she took a pass from Kasper and scored on a shot from six yards out to give the Gorloks a 1-0 lead. Bascio's goal was her fifth of the season.

Kasper would score her first goal in the 17th minute as she took a pass from Bascio and connected on a shot from the right side about eight yards out and added her second goal about six minutes later as she took a pass from Wilson right in front of the goal and connected on shot from four yards out to give WU a 3-0 lead.

Freshman forward Jordan Lande (Sachse, Texas/Sachse) gave the Gorloks 4-0 lead in the 32nd minute as she used a pass from Kasper and scored from 12 yards out for her second goal of the season.

In the first half, Webster recorded 22 of its 50 shots and had 14 shots on goal, while its defense held the Highlanders without a shot. 

Senior midfielder Carolyn Ries (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) got into the scoring action in the 53rd minute as she took a pass from Kasper and scored from eight yards out to give Webster a 5-0 lead. 

About four minutes after Ries' goal, junior midfielder Savannah Page (Sandy, Utah/Sandy) scored her third goal of the season from 10 yards out that came off pass from Ries to give WU a 6-0 advantage. 

Kasper would complete the hat trick in the 60th minute as she took a pass from Wilson and scored from seven yards out. Kasper has now scored a team-leading eight goals this season. 

Wilson would score two goals in the 69th and 89th minutes of the contest to complete the scoring. Wilson's first goal, which was a header from six yards in the 69th minute, came of a pass from freshman midfielder Hailey Busche (Troy, Ill./Triad) and her second goal in the 89th minute came off a pass from sophomore midfielder Cassidy Bishop (Salt Lake City, Utah/West). 

Kasper led the way for Webster with shots, while Ries and Wilson each had five shots. Bascio, Bishop, freshman midfielder Julia Paradise (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway North) and freshman midfielder Kaitlyn Theriot (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Liberty) each had four shots in the win. Webster had 15 players take at least one shot in the match.

MacMurray would take its first and only shot on a header by Erin Detter in the 62nd minute. The header came 20 seconds after the first of two corner kicks by Margaret Doss in the match for the Highlanders. Doss took another corner kick in the 65th minute.

Senior goalkeeper Alisa Coralic (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) started in goal and played the first half and did not face a shot to move to 7-2-1 on the season, while junior goalkeeper Abbey Mercer (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) played all 45 minutes in the second half and faced just that header shot from Detter. 

Kayla Enochs (2-4-0) played all 90 minutes in goal for the Highlanders and finished with 19 saves to go along with the nine goals she allowed. 

Webster will look to move to 2-0 in the SLIAC play this coming Wednesday, Oct. 3 as the Gorloks travel to Fulton, Mo., for a 5 p.m. match at Westminster (Mo.) College.