CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Chattanooga forward Caroline Richvalsky told her coaches that once she got her first goal, they would keep coming. On Sunday she recorded her first hat trick to lead the Mocs to a 3-1 women's soccer non-conference win over Jacksonville State at Finley Stadium.

Chattanooga improves to 4-1 on the year and the Gamecocks even their record to 3-3 overall.
 
JSU scored in the 22^nd minute to take an early lead. After dropping low on the right side, Camryn Davis' pass into the box was picked up on the far side by Mya Fregoli and sent into the lower left side for her first goal of the season.
 
It would take almost the rest of the half before the Mocs got on the board. Richvalsky had one of Chattanooga's four goals on Thursday and picked up all three UTC goals Sunday. She scored twice just before the end of the first half and the third came in the middle of the second.
 
Her first goal tied the game in the 41^st minute. Birna Johannsdottir lined up the corner kick and placed it in the box where Richvalsky headed it home into the right middle of the net to make it 1-1.
 
With less than three minutes before the half, Richvalsky shot home the game winner. Kennedy Heavrin intercepted the ball in the backfield and slotted a pass through to the left side to Betha Pucek. Pucek raced down the field and sent her pass to Richvalsky near the top center of the box.
 
Richvalsky avoided one diving defender and gathered the ball in before sending a strong shot from the penalty line to the back of the net on the right. That sent the Mocs into intermission with a 2-1 lead.
 
The hat trick came off a ricochet from Mackenzie Smith's shot from the right side in the 18-yard box. Jacksonville State's keeper made a save on the ball but couldn't pull it in and Richvalsky picked it up right in front of the net to make it a 3-1 game.
 
Chattanooga outshot the Gamecocks 15-6 and had a 10-5 shots on goal advantage. JSU keeper Bailey Dean made seven saves and Mocs keeper Caroline Ekern had four saves in her fifth complete game.
 
The Mocs will hit the road to take on Middle Tennessee Thursday evening in Murfreesboro. The game is slated to kick off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time on the Blue Raider's campus. Follow all the action online at GoMocs.com.


 
NOTES
- First hat trick of collegiate career for Caroline Richvalsky.
- Leads the Mocs with four goals this season and nine points.
- First hat trick for UTC since Chloe Arnold had one at The Citadel in 2017.
- Chattanooga has won four consecutive games this season after opening with a loss at Vanderbilt.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
1             21:30     JSU         Mya Fregoli (1)                Camryn Davis
2             40:07     UTC        Caroline Richvalsky (2)    Birna Johannsdottir
3             42:50     UTC        Caroline Richvalsky (3)    Betha Pucek
4             64:56     UTC        Caroline Richvalsky (4)    Mackenzie Smith
 
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