CHARLESTON, S.C. – A hat trick of assists for Lina-Marie Müller and a two-goal performance by Lindsey Malyszek propelled the Presbyterian College women's soccer team to its fourth consecutive victory on Thursday afternoon, dealing The Citadel their first outright loss of 2024 in commanding fashion (3-0).

In their five matches prior to falling at PC's hands, The Citadel had given up only two goals in 450 minutes of play. Head coach Matt Smith's crew promptly scored twice in the first 37 minutes and pitched their second shutout of 2024 for good measure.

Presbyterian now joins the company of just nine other non-Power 4 schools (excluding the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, and Big 12) to currently hold a four-match winning streak. They did it by assembling 12 shots-on-goal and their first two-score opening half in 12 months.

After achieving their first streak of three straight W's since 2018 in a 4-1 thrashing of South Carolina State over the weekend, PC extended that tally on Thursday and clinched at least a tie of the current best record in the Big South Conference.

Dating back to the second half of the S.C. State win, the Blue Hose have crafted six unanswered goals in the last 143 minutes on the field.

 
FINAL SCORE: Presbyterian, 3 – The Citadel, 0
RECORDS: Presbyterian (5-1) – The Citadel (4-1-1)
LOCATION: WLI Field (Charleston, S.C.)



 
SMITH'S SENTIMENTS
 
"Our girls took the gameplan from this match and went out there and executed it perfectly. I'm very proud of them for fully buying into what we've already accomplished, as this was an excellent performance against a quality team who hadn't lost yet."

"We really put our stamp on the game with those two early scores, and we were able to stay the aggressor for almost the entire match. I think that forced The Citadel into playing a faster pace than they would've liked, and again, that's a huge credit to how our players executed today."

 
MAGNIFICENT MÜLLER
 
- An All-Big South second team member last fall in her first season of competition, Müller broke the Presbyterian single-match record by assembling the first triple-assist stat line in the Scotsmen's 17-year Division I history.

- In a 2-2 tie with Jacksonville last season, Müller posted PC's sixth multi-assist match since turning D-I, partly breaking her own record against The Citadel all in under 50 minutes.

- The German has compiled seven points in the last two bouts after scoring two goals herself in the South Carolina State triumph.

 
FOUR FIRST-TIMERS
 
- The Blue Hose unscrewed the lid in the 31^st minute with a header by junior defender Ella Williams, the first score of her collegiate career for a player who lives primarily on the opposite end of the field.

- Receiving the free kick from Müller, Williams became the fourth non-freshman for PC this season to tally her first collegiate goal.

- Emilia Lieber, Gwen Keiser, and Isabel Lasota were also first-time beneficiaries throughout the early stages of the season. Williams' close-range hit means that eight different players have scored a goal for coach Smith's roster less than a month into the campaign.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED
 
- Backpedaling after falling behind 1-0 due to William's point-blank score, the Bulldogs found themselves trailing by a pair at halftime once Malyszek administered her seventh career goal at 37:44.

- That came only seven minutes after the Blue Hose drew first blood, their first time reaching two goals in an opening half since the aforementioned Jacksonville visit last September.

- Not satisfied with the two-score advantage, Müller drew up her third helper of the day which in turn led to Malyszek scooping her first multi-goal outing in the blue and garnet.

- Malyszek's earlier strike was aided by a double-assist, enabling Julija Poplašen to muster her first point at the college stage.

- From there, it was curtains for The Citadel, who were only able to sweep up one shot-on-goal over the entire 90-minute window. Keiser, Lyla Chadd, Madison Hindman, and rookie Cassidy Oldham played every second during the win, as did senior keeper Kelly Hall who entered double digits in her personal win column (10).

 
UP NEXT
 
- Fresh off their Bulldog thumping, Presbyterian returns to Martin Stadium on Sunday night to meet a Georgia State opponent who will travel to Clinton for the second time ever.

- GSU has been through a rough patch to open up the season, albeit against very stiff competition that includes Florida, Ole Miss, and last year's Southern Conference Tournament champion Western Carolina.

- The Panthers searched for their first W of the season on Thursday in a head-to-head with Kennesaw State, a duel that took place after Presby's surgical victory in Charleston.

- First touch from Edens Field is scheduled for 7:00 PM on September 8.