SHERMAN, TX (09.18.18) - Senior Melissa Fulfer recorded her first collegiate hat trick Tuesday night, leading the undefeated UT Dallas Comets to an 8-0 non-conference rout over Austin College.

Fulfer, a senior from Arlington, took over the team lead in scoring and continued her climb on the Comets' all-time scoring leader board, knocking in UTD's first goal just 2:55 into the game, then tacking on two more in the second half as the Comets (7-0) pulled away from a 2-0 halftime lead with six goals in the final 45 minutes.

The shutout was the Comets' sixth in seven starts this season. UTD out-shot Austin College, 30-3, putting 17 shots on goal. Kangaroo keeper Meredith Harris stopped nine shots, but surrendered eight others. A trio of Comet keepers tallied just a single save in the contest. Austin College dropped to 0-6 for the season.

Fulfer's hat trick was the 43rd in UTD program history, and first since Nique Enloe accomplished the feat last season. Sophomore Haley Ziomek from Scottsdale, Arizona, tallied a pair of goals for UTD.

UTD returns to American Southwest Conference action on the road this weekend, facing Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana Thursday night, followed by a Saturday afternoon match against Belhaven in Jackson, Mississippi.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
• Fulfer put the Comets on the board just 2:55 into the match, striking a shot into the upper right corner from 20 yards out on an assist from Keely Fillman.
• UTD finally scored its second goal 34 minutes later when sophomore Jala Tousant beat the keeper on a breakaway.
• Sophomore transfer Rain Lybbert started an onslaught of second-half goals just 5:29 into the second half, striking an 18-yard shot into the upper corner after beating two defenders.
• In the next nine minutes, Fulfer scored twice and Ziomek added the first of two goals. Fulfer took a long pass from Jessica Rusk to beat the keeper at 54:14 to make it 4-0. After Ziomek scored on a rebound off Jacquie Kaufman, Fulfer knocked in her third goal of the night out of a scrum in front of the net.
• Ziomek made it 7-0 with her second goal, taking an assist from Abby McDowell and punching in a shot just inside the left pole.
• Freshman Claire Walker from Jasper capped the scoring with another rebounded score off an Elizabeth Esper assist with just 3 minutes remaining.