Aug. 31, 2006

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State opened its fall semester on Monday morning, but on Sunday afternoon, freshman Lauren Hill (Northville, Mich./Northville) handed out a lesson of her own to the Western Michigan women's soccer team, notching the fourth four-goal game in school history to help her earn recognition as SoccerTimes.com's Best of the Rest in its announcement of its national player of the week, the Web site announced Wednesday.

Hill, who began classes with the rest of the Michigan State student body on Monday, wasted little time getting the women's soccer team on the board with a goal in the fourth minute of Sunday's game. She would later add three more goals in the first half, tying the school-record for goals in a game and helping catapult the Spartans (1-1) to a 4-2 win in the road opener.

Hill, who also tied the school record for points in a game (8), is the first Spartan to post a four-goal game in 19 years and the first freshman to ever accomplish the feat, tying the single-game record set by Julie Gnau (Sept. 20, 1986 vs. Wilmington) and equaled by Cindy Waas (Sept. 14, 1987 at Wilmington and Nov. 6, 1987 at Lewis).

"She's one of the best offensive players we've ever brought in here," head coach Tom Saxton said. "While it was an amazing performance, I am honestly not surprised. She's a born goal-scorer."

Hill, the 2005 Michigan High School Gatorade Player of the Year, put on a clinic in the first half, breaking free once for a goal, heading another in, and taking shots after beautiful feeds for her other two goals. She also put a fifth ball in the back of the net, but had the goal taken back due to an offsides call.

In her debut on Friday, Hill asssisted on the first goal of the season in a 3-2 loss to Central Michigan. She took a shot that hit the far post and sophomore Kristi Timar (Novi, Mich./Novi) kicked in the rebound. The freshman leads the Big Ten in points (9) and goals (4) through the opening two games.

SoccerTimes.com, which honors national Players of the Week for both NCAA men's and women's soccer throughout the season, selected Ashley Hamblin of Missouri as Player of the Week, while Hill was the runner-up. Announced to the three-woman honor roll were: Kari Lennon of Belmont, Lindsay Brauer of South Florida and Shoko Mikami of Memphis.

State will look to stay on the winning track as it heads down Stillwater, Okla., for a Friday game against Oklahoma State in the opening contest of the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge at 7 p.m.