LA JOLLA, Calif. – After a come from behind draw with the Aztecs on Friday night, Saint Mary's responded in a big way against the UCSD Tritons, with Nayeli Diaz scoring a hat trick in a dominant 4-2 Gaels victory. 
 
Scoring three goals in the opening five minutes of the second half, Saint Mary's were an attacking force. Diaz, who scored her first goal of the season in the first half, collected her hat trick by the 50th minute.

Emily Jensen was another standout for the Gaels, assisting a goal to Nayeli Diaz and then scoring a goal of her own. Jensen leads the Saint Mary's team with four goals on the season thus far.
 
EARLY ACTION
UC San Diego, having not scored a game at home all season, looked to establish the tempo early. Saint Mary's were organized out of possession, and looked to quickly counterattack when the Tritons turned the ball over. With their direct play, the Gaels were able to earn a few early corner kicks, continuing to ramp up their intensity inside the opening 10 minutes.
 
The breakthrough for Saint Mary's came in the 14^th minute, when Nayeli Diaz danced her way through four Triton defenders and into the UCSD penalty box. Diaz then passed the ball to her right, where Tessa Salvestrin controlled the ball, before quickly passing the ball back to Diaz, who clipped the ball over the keeper and into the left corner to make it 1-0 SMC.
 
HALFTIME TURNAROUND
After establishing the lead, both teams settled into the pace of the game. The Gaels continued to press the Tritons after losing possession, hoping to catch their defenders off guard. Despite having 15 shots, Saint Mary's were unable to find a second goal before the half. UC San Diego instead were the team to take advantage, scoring their first home goal of the season in spectacular long-range fashion. Catching Saint Mary's off guard, the Tritons knotted the game at 1-1 in the 34^th minute. 
 
FAST AND FURIOUS
Saint Mary's came out for the second looking to immediately restore their lead. It certainly didn't take long, the Gaels scoring inside the first minute. Emily Jensen drove towards the box, before lacing a pass across the penalty box to the streaking Nayeli Diaz, who calmly guided the ball into the back of the net for her second of the day, making it 2-1 Saint Mary's. 
 
The Gaels continued to turn the screw, and they found the net again just two minutes later, as Emily Jensen found herself in the right place at the right time. She settled a cross inside the box and buried the ball into the top of the net to make it 3-1 Saint Mary's.
 
Despite great performances all over the pitch, the afternoon belonged to Nayeli Diaz, and she expertly finished off her hat trick in the 50^th minute. This time, a cross from Isabella Santavicca bounced off a Tritons defender before settling at Diaz's feet. She calmly moved around the defender, and poked the shot past the goalkeeper with her right foot. 
 
Diaz's hat trick Sunday afternoon was the first Gaels hat trick in over 15 years.

UP NEXT 
Saint Mary's return home from San Diego to take on UPenn on Thursday September 15 at 4 pm before battling the Washington State Cougars in their last non-conference game of the season on Sunday September 18 at 1 pm.