RANGELY, Colo. — Cristal Lara delivered a hat trick, including two goals less than two minutes apart late in the second half, as the College of Southern Nevada rallied from a halftime deficit to earn a 3-3 draw against Colorado Northwestern Community College on Thursday.
The Lady Coyotes found themselves trailing 2-1 with less than 10 minutes remaining before Lara took over. She scored the equalizer in the 81st minute and struck again just 1:49 later to complete the hat trick and give Southern Nevada its first lead of the match. Colorado Northwestern answered in the final moments, however, as Ava Wong scored at the 90-minute mark to produce the 3-3 final.
Colorado Northwestern grabbed the early advantage when Wong found the back of the net just 3:50 into the match. Southern Nevada responded almost immediately, with Lara scoring at 5:22 to pull the Lady Coyotes even at 1-1.
The Lady Coyotes continued to generate opportunities throughout the opening half, but Colorado Northwestern regained the lead in the 36th minute on a goal from Peyton Smith. CSN nearly answered before halftime when Jazlyn Chavez hit the crossbar in the 41st minute, but the Lady Coyotes went into the break trailing 2-1.
Southern Nevada kept the pressure on after halftime. Kate Oliva hit the crossbar in the 51st minute, one of several second-half opportunities for a CSN attack that finished the afternoon with 22 shots.
The breakthrough finally came at 80:46 when Lara scored her second goal of the match to tie it at 2-2. Just 1:49 later, Lara struck again, completing the hat trick and turning a one-goal deficit into a 3-2 Lady Coyote advantage.
CSN was moments away from completing the comeback before Wong scored her second goal at the 90-minute mark, allowing Colorado Northwestern to escape with the draw.
Lara finished with six shots, putting four on goal while accounting for all three Southern Nevada goals. Oliva led CSN with seven shots, while Chavez added four. The Lady Coyotes outshot Colorado Northwestern 22-14 and held a 4-0 advantage in corner kicks. Goalkeeper Madison English played all 90 minutes and recorded six saves.
The Lady Coyotes continue their road trip Saturday, Aug. 29, when they travel to Casper, Wyoming, to face Casper College.
