HIRAM, Ohio – September 11, 2024 – Hiram's Reagan Mory joined rare company on Wednesday evening, as she became the 10th different student-athlete in program history to record a hat trick in a 4-1 win over Bethany at Henry Field.
Mory joined Kaitlyn Harris (2021 vs Geneva) as the only Hiram student-athletes over the last five seasons to score three goals in a single game. Her performance will not only go down in the record books, but it also lifted the Terriers to their first win of the season against an opponent it will face in conference play next year.
Bella Simmons joined her sophomore teammate with another breakout performance, as she recorded a career-high four points (one goal, two assists) to fuel the team's four answered goals. Sydney Ladage rounded out the sophomore contributions with a pair of assists to cap off the night with a celebratory ringing of the Hiram Bell.
It was a slow start for the Terriers, who surrendered a goal in the seventh minute to Bethany's Monica Bird. That score gave the Bison a 1-0 lead, but proved to be the only mark against Hiram's Emma Deffenbaugh, who was making her first career start as a goalkeeper (second appearance).
Mory got things going with her first goal of the season in the 14th minute, a shot that deflected off the opposing goalkeeper before traveling through the center of the net. Simmons set her teammate up on a pass toward the center of the field before Mory took it the rest of the way for the equalizer.
Simmons then did some scoring herself, taking a deep pass from Ladage and finding the range to give Hiram its first lead at Henry Field in 2024. The goal was a testament to the athleticism of Simmons, who used her elusiveness to find an opening in the defense and score for the second time this season.
At the intermission, Hiram had a 2-1 lead despite being outshot, 9-7.
It was a memorable second half for Mory, who found high-percentage opportunities around the goal to score her second goal in the 80th minute and her third goal in the 85th minute. Simmons had the assist on the latter of the two scores, which lifted the home crowd to its feet to honor the remarkable performances by both sophomores.
The Terriers defense had three student-athletes log all 90 minutes of playing time in the match: Briana Troyan, Hailey Eastwood and Mackenzie Morrison. The trio helped Deffenbaugh secure her first career victory to go along with eight saves.
Next, Hiram will wrap up its four-game homestand with a non-conference battle against Adrian on Saturday at 4 p.m. from Henry Field in Hiram, Ohio.
