(Sugar Grove, IL) – Although it was Halloween, Waubonsee Community College's women's soccer team didn't looked scared one bit. With a bulls-eye on their backs as the top-seed, the Chiefs opened Region IV Division II Tournament play with a convincing 6-0 win over the College of DuPage. Both trick and treat were featured on Sunday afternoon as the Chiefs' Olivia McPherson posted a 'hat trick' with three goals to help 'treat' the home fans to an easy first-round victory. Waubonsee (14-1-1) now advances to the semi-finals and will host the winner between fourth-seeded Morton College and fifth-seeded Bryant & Stratton College from Wisconsin. That match is set for this coming Wednesday, November 3 starting at 3:00 p.m. on the Chiefs' pitch. Morton handed Waubonsee its' only loss of the season back on October 6, downing the Chiefs 1-0 in Cicero. Waubonsee topped Bryant & Stratton 4-0 on September 25 in Sugar Grove.

Waubonsee dominated much of the action on Sunday afternoon, out shooting the visiting Chaparrals 21-13. The Chiefs had a pair of scoring opportunities in the opening minutes, but Chaparrals' keeper Madelyn McGuire turned back each shot. A few minutes later though Kiara McPherson drilled a 20-yard shot from the left wing to the far corner. The ball sailed over McGuire's head and into the upper right shelf for a 1-0 Chiefs' lead nine minutes into the contest. Waubonsee kept the pressure on the Chaparrals' defense throughout the first half looking to add on to their lead. Five minutes later Kiara McPherson made a nice pass to the middle of the box where Katie Jones booted a left-footed shot from 7-yards out that McGuire dove to her right to stop.

It took the Chaparrals 25 minutes before they got off a solid shot on goal, which Chiefs' keeper Isabelle Harkleroad corralled. Shortly after that Kiara McPherson lofted a pass toward the goal that her twin sister Olivia beat McGuire to, drilling a shot past her as she came out after the ball for her ninth goal of the season. Just two minutes later Olivia had another potential scoring opportunity. The speedy sophomore forward got ahead of the DuPage defense and smacked a shot from 10 yards out that McGuire deflected up and over the cross bar. She broke through again in the 39^th minute when Bailey Prichard kicked the ball up ahead and McPherson out raced a Chaparrals defender, lining a shot past McGuire for her second goal of the day and a 3-0 Waubonsee lead. The score remained that way heading into halftime as the winds picked up slightly and the temperatures fell into the upper 40's.   

Amanda Smith took over in goal for the Chaparrals to start the second half and was promptly challenged by the Chiefs, having to make a diving stop just 30 seconds into the half. A minute later Tsion White ripped a shot from 12 yards out into the left corner of the goal, out of the reach of a diving Smith to quickly make it 4-0. Midway through the half Smith was injured making a diving stop and McGuire had to come back in for DuPage. The Chiefs rudely welcomed her back into the game almost immediately. In the 65^th minute Sarai Munoz tallied her eighth goal of the season when she tapped in a rebound off a shot by Kiara McPherson to push the lead to 5-0. Waubonsee scored again in the 74^th minute when Munoz blasted a 35-yard free kick that was fumbled by McGuire in front of the goal. Olivia McPherson pounced on the ball and tapped it in for her 11^th score of the season to complete her 'hat trick' on the day.

Meanwhile, with the assistance of defenders Amy Flores, Sonia Macias, Emely Mendoza, Molly Herbig and Lindsay Ferris, Harkleroad was able to keep DuPage off the scoreboard. In the 70^th minute Harkleroad made an outstanding leaping stop on a top-shelf shot. The sophomore also made a pair of stops in the final three minutes to preserve the shutout, her seventh of the season, en route to recording 13 saves.