Box Score Miami Shores, FL. - Oh what a night. That is the best way to describe the night for senior Stephanie Parrish who scored her third career hat trick, including the game-winning goal three minutes into overtime as No. 12 Columbus State sunk the Buccaneers 4-3 in a non-conference matchup. Oh yeah, she also became CSU's all-time leading goal scorer with 51, breaking the tie she was in with Gina Goforth entering the match.
Parrish wasted no time taking claim of the top spot as she scored the historical goal less then three minutes into the contest. The forward intercepted a pass and took a shot from 25-yards out for the early 1-0 lead.
The two sides would trade off the next three goals with Barry tying the game at the 14:02 mark. Melissa Madrid tallied her ninth goal of the year on a shot from 18-yards out. Miranda Goransson and Silvia Lugo were credited with assists on the play. Parrish would give CSU a short lived lead when Kate Walton found her in the center of the field, setting up a 1v1 situation with the goalkeeper in the 55th minute.
Emma Karp, the nation's second leading scorer, would answer right back 53 seconds later and again in the 58th minute to give the hosts a 3-2 advantage. Both of her goals were scored off of corner kicks by Lainie Ferring.
The senior leadership was evident by Columbus State as they combined for the final two goals and an assist in the contest. Leslie Mathews took on the Barry defense up the right side and crossed the ball to Walton who knocked it in. It was Walton's fourth goal of the season and 16th of her career, tying her for eighth all-time at CSU. The helper by Mathews put her in a tie with Parrish for the team lead with six and seventh on the school's career list with 13.
Parrish nearly got the game-winner in regulation as she received a cross in the box with 1:43 remaining, but the attempt went straight to the Barry goalkeeper.
Kelsey Bass took the first shot of the overtime period, almost giving the Lady Cougars the victory but it hit off the crossbar. Luckily for CSU, it bounced right back to Parrish who put away her ninth goal of the season.
Columbus State held a slight advantage in shots 18-17 and also had an edge in corner kicks 9-4. Willi Babillis picked up her third win of the season playing the majority of the contest between the pipes, allowing just one goal. The freshman made six saves in the process. Mikaela Barboza suffered the loss for Barry dropping her record to 5-3-1. Barboza made several key saves for the Buccaneers to keep them in the contest throughout the night.
CSU improves to 11-1-1 on the year while Barry now stands at 6-6-1.
Columbus State will continue its mini road trip in Florida on Sunday when it plays at the University of Tampa. The Spartans posted a 2-0 win over Palm Beach Atlantic this evening and will enter the contest with a 9-4 record. The two sides met last year with the Lady Cougars winning 3-0. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
