SEASIDE, Calif --- On Senior Day for the Cal State Monterey Bay Women's Soccer team, it was a sophomore who stole the show. Sierra Townsend (Glendora, Calif./St. Lucy's Priory) netted her first three goals of the season, as well as the first hat trick in program history, to lead the Otters (7-9-0, 3-6-0 CCAA) past the Lumberjacks (6-11-0, 1-10-0 CCAA) of Humboldt State with a 4-3 victory on Thursday afternoon at the Otter Sports Complex.

With neither team in contention for the CCAA playoffs, the Otters came into Thursday's game simply trying to end the season on a high note for their seniors. Before the game started, there was a ceremony honoring Lily Garza (Redwood City, Calif./Woodside HS), Cate Bagacina (Aliso Viejo, Calif./Aliso Niguel HS), Shoshana Wangerin (Pleasant Hill, Calif./College Park HS), sisters Juliet Murray and Jami Murray (Newbury Park HS), Hannah Roberts (Petaluma HS), Cheryl Tom (Cupertino, Calif./Monta Vista HS), and Hannah Cobb (Hollister, Clif.San Benito HS). 

Coming out the gate, the Otters set up camp in the Lumberjack's defensive zone.  In the 17th minute, the Otters broke through for their first goal of the game.  After receiving a through ball, Regan Porteous (Lodi, Calif./St. Mary's HS) made an excellent cut to burn her defender, then found Townsend for her first goal, with a shot hitting the center of the net.  

The Otters had six corner kicks in the first half, two of which lead to goals. Upon receiving one in the 26th minute, Bagacina took a shot that deflected off the goalie, which Jami Murray put back in for her 4th goal of the season.  A major sense of déjà vu would occur in the 38th minute, with Townsend being the one to put back a Bagacina deflected shot, netting her second goal of the game and giving the Otters what appeared to be a commanding 3-0 lead.

The Lumberjacks would not go quietly in the second half, however. In the 62nd minute, Niccole Mullins sent a through ball to Taylor McMill who deked her defender and netted her 6th goal of the season on a shot that went right underneath the diving Garza.  This seemed to have opened the floodgates for the Lumberjacks, who went on to strike again in the 65th minute on Maddi Null's 4th goal of the season; an absolute rocket of a shot from 25 yards out that sailed just over the hands of Garza. One minute later, an equalizer would come on Sammie Morris' first goal of the season.

A storybook ending for a senior almost occurred in the 87th minute, when Jami Murray launched a rocket of her own that was just a bit too high hitting the crossbar.  However, the deflection landed perfectly at the feet of Townsend, who booted home the game winner, completing her hat trick.

The Otters end the 2014 season with an overall record of 7–9–0, 4–7–0 CCAA, while the Lumberjacks fall to 6–11–0, 1–10–0 in conference play.