STATESBORO, Ga. –  From the moment she arrived in Boone as a freshman, striker Ellie Garrison has delivered many eye-popping performances. Thursday night in Statesboro, Garrison delivered the most impressive outing of her career, registering the seventh hat-trick in program history to lead App State Soccer to a 4-0 victory over Georgia Southern.
 
Garrison tallied her first goal just ten minutes into the match and App State (8-2-3, 3-1-1) never looked back on its way to a program-record sixth road win of the season. The four goals were also the most that App State has scored in its 41 all-time meetings against Georgia Southern.
 
Garrison's first goal was a powerful top-shelf header into the top netting, converting a beautiful cross from Sofia Goclowski from the left wing to give App State a 1-0 lead.
 
The Eagles (7-3-3, 2-2-1) nearly equalized moments later, but Addison Comer hit the left post as Hanna Skogsfors was able to cut down her angle. Skogsfors recorded five saves, leading App State to its eighth clean sheet of the season.
 
In the 22^nd minute, App State pushed forward on a counterattack. Libby Bermingham crossed to her right and then back to her left to shed her defender and then uncorked a low drive towards the goal. Eagles' goalkeeper Quinn Wilson was able to make a diving stop but the rebound bounced right to Garrison who smashed the rebound into the back of the net.
 
The Mountaineers continued to apply the pressure. In the 39^th minute, App State earned a corner kick, and Aleesia Ambrosio played the service into the center of the box where Ella Hoover was able to elevate and head it home for her first career goal, giving the Mountaineers a 3-0 lead at halftime.
 
App State took 10 corner kicks, while conceding just four. They also outshot the Eagles 18-11 and 8-5 in shots on goal.
 
Garrison capped the hat-trick in the 54^th minute. Olivia Simon played a long ball down the left flank and Garrison was able to settle the ball with her body and outrace the Georgia Southern defense before powering a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the net.
 
Garrison's hat trick was the first for a Mountaineer since Simon scored the first three goals of her career in a match against Marshall in 2023 in Boone.
 
Garrison led the Mountaineers with five shots on the night. Bermingham added three and Yonah Dias and Taylor Duff each had two. Lucy Harrington played all 90 minutes on the back line, as she has in every match this season.
 
App State returns to The Valley to play Coastal Carolina this Sunday for Alumni Day. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. 
 
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