Box Score | Photo Gallery

LOGAN, Utah -

Utah State 8, Sam Houston State 0

Utah State soccer wrapped up its weekend of competition Sunday with an 8-0 shutout over Sam Houston State.

The Aggies' eight goals in Sunday's match are the third-most scored in a Utah State match in program history. Additionally, the seven assists and 23 total points each rank second all-time. The records in all three categories were set in a 10-1 win over Louisiana Tech in 2007, when the Aggies scored 10 goals with eight assists for 28 total points.

Among the first half highlights was a hat trick from freshman forward Alecia Robinson. She scored the last three goals of the first half over a six-minute period. Robinson becomes the eighth player to record a hat trick in Utah State history and is the first freshman to do so since the 1999 season, when Brigid Turner recorded two three-goal games.

Adding to the total Sunday were two goals from junior midfielder Wesley Hamblin and single shots from senior midfielder Jayne Robison-Merrill, junior midfielder Katie Flynn and sophomore midfielder Jordyn Chung-Hoon. All but one goal had an assist with it, as senior defender Karlee Campbell-Zollinger and freshman midfielder Kanyan Ward had two apiece, and senior forward Jessica Brooksby, Chung-Hoon and Flynn had one each.

Utah State took a season-high 19 shots on the day, 14 of which were on goal. Sam Houston State took 14 shots with four on target. Redshirt sophomore Grace McGuire played the first half of the match, while senior Natalie Stoven saw her first action of the year in the second half. Together, the pair tallied four saves.

With the win, Utah State improves to 4-3-0 on the season, while Sam Houston State falls to 0-8-0.

"It was a good game. We challenged ourselves and really threw down the gauntlet to see if we could become a first-half team. We felt like our second halves have been better than our first all season," said USU head coach Heather Cairns. "Their first touch was at seven minutes, hitting the crossbar, so we weren't as sharp as we needed to be. Our offense got rolling after that and we were able to put the game away early, which is a good thing to be able to do."

Offensive action for Utah State took some time to get rolling, but once it did, it didn't stop for the remainder of the first half. The Bearkats had the first two good chances to start the game, but then the Aggies took over. USU was on the board in the 18th minute as Campbell-Zollinger passed the ball to Robison-Merrill in the box. She received the pass in the top right corner, following through with a shot to score. Just 45 seconds later, Hamblin scored her first goal of the day, taking an up-field cross from Brooksby.

Hamblin struck again in the 21st minute, combining with Campbell-Zollinger around the Sam Houston State goalkeeper. Flynn scored the only unassisted goal of the day in the 28th minute. She took one shot that was stopped by the keeper, but was able to rebound and follow-through with a second attempt that went into the net. In the 36th minute of action, Chung-Hoon received a pass from Ward at the top of the box, scoring her first goal of the season and giving Ward her first-career assist.

The final three goals of the day came at the foot of Robinson. She scored her first collegiate goal in the 37th minute of play on a through ball from Chung-Hoon. Less than 30 seconds after the ball was kicked off again, Robinson combined with Ward for a second goal from the top corner of the box. Her third goal came in the 43rd minute, as she received a pass from Flynn to go around the goalkeeper in the left corner.

The second half was a much quieter period, as no further goals were added. The Aggies were able to rotate several players into the much, giving much-needed rest to the starters as well as providing quality minutes for the bench. In all, 22 Utah State players saw time on the field in Sunday's action.

Utah State will have nearly a week off before continuing the homestand. The Aggies host in-state rival No. 7 BYU on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 4 p.m.

Fans can follow the Aggie soccer program on Twitter, @USUSoccer, on Facebook at /USUSoccer or on Instagram, @USUSoccer. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.