Burton Tallies School-Record Five Goals, No. 19 AASU Blitzes Clayton, 7-2

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Senior Kristin Burton's ramped up her chase for the all-time Peach Belt Conference goal scoring lead on Saturday afternoon by tallying a school-record five goals in No. 19-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State's 7-2 women's soccer victory over PBC foe Clayton State at AT&T Field.

Burton's quintet of goals helped AASU (5-1-2, 2-0 PBC) remain unbeaten in its last five matches, while Clayton State (1-4, 0-1 PBC) lost its first PBC match of the season and its third straight.

The reigning PBC Player of the Week eclipsed her own school records for goals in a match - she had previously scored four goals twice against Georgia Southwestern on Oct. 1, 2008 - while also besting her school record for points in a match with 11, the previous record of eight set twice previously. She is only the second PBC player to score five goals against a conference opponent, tying the five goals scored by Clayton State's Olaitan Yusuf against USC Aiken on Oct. 9, 2004; the player that Burton is currently chasing for the all-time PBC goal lead.

The five goals brings Burton to 76 for her career, seven shy of Yusuf's 83 goals set from 2004-07. Burton has 12 on the season, reassuming the PBC lead, and she is now the first AASU player to register double digit goals in four consecutive seasons.

The scoring almost began in the third minute after a Clayton State foul, when Burton hammered home a shot from long distance, but the play was an indirect kick rather than a direct kick. Four minutes later, another foul from the Lakers resulted in a direct kick, and this time Burton converted in the seventh minute to put the Pirates up, 1-0.

A nifty exchange off of another free kick in the ninth minute resulted in the Pirates' second goal. A Burton free kick found Morgan Mitchell on the far post, and her header across the goal mouth was poked in by Þórdís Pétursdóttir for the tally.

The rest of the scoring in the first half would be all Burton in a variety of ways - a through ball from Amber Raney, flicked across the box by Pétursdóttir found Burton at the top of the box, for a goal in the 22nd minute; a turnover by the Clayton State defense resulted in a one-on-one situation with Burton, resulting in a goal in the 28th minute, then a corner kick by Burton in the 36th minute went directly in for her fourth goal of the match.

Clayton State got a goal in the 34th minute off of a set piece as Rebekah Cook's service from 35 yards out found Natalia Valentine far post, where Valentine beat Pirate keeper Tracey Mitchell for the tally.

In the second half, Burton would score the record-breaking goal just 26 seconds after intermission, giving her the fifth tally and putting the Pirates up, 6-1. Erin O'Rourke would cap the AASU scoring in the 76th minute, blasting a shot from long distance and beating Clayton State keeper Dominique Trappio for her second goal of the season.

Clayton's Cherie Sayon picked up her team-leading sixth goal of the year in the 78th minute when her breakaway shot rebounded off of AASU reserve keeper Samantha Held back into the goal to finish off the scoring in the match.

AASU outshot the Lakers, 34-13, picking up 17 shots in each half. The Pirates enjoyed a 5-2 edge in corner kicks and were whistled for 11 fouls, compared to seven for the Lakers. 

Mitchell made two saves in the first half of action for the Pirates, while Meghan Mayville made two saves for the Pirates in second-half action and Held made none. Trappio played 82 minutes in net for the Lakers and made 13 saves, while giving up five goals.

AASU returns to action on Friday, September 25, with a 5:00 p.m. home match against the University of Tampa at AT&T Field. Clayton State is next in action on Sept. 21 against Lenoir-Rhyne at 7:00 p.m.