Acton's Hat Trick Leads Lincoln-Sudbury Girls Soccer Team to Victory

Madison Acton scored three goals Friday afternoon against Westford, but her one assist proved to be the difference-maker.

Acton dribbled from right to left, nearly the width of the field, before setting up Emily Casey for a shot that dipped just below the crossbar to give Lincoln-Sudbury a 4-2 lead in the 45^th minute of the game.

"I've been playing with Emily since I was 6," Acton said.  "When we're on, we're on.  It was great to get her a goal.  The pass was better than [my] goals."

For coach Kate Berry, the goal was exactly what she wanted from her team coming out of the half.

"What we talked about at halftime was that the first five minutes would be important," Berry said.  "A point of emphasis during our halftime talk was no shots allowed, and to get our own on frame.  Maddy put a great ball through, and a nice finish [by Casey]."

The Warriors (1-1) didn't just carry out their scheme from halftime into the second half of this game, they were able to apply to Friday's game what they wanted to work on following their season-opening loss on Monday.

"We worked a lot on high-pressure transitioning quickly from offense to defense," Berry said. "We wanted a high work rate all over the field, and we definitely saw that today."

No one worked harder than Acton. After Westford took a 1-0 lead less then four minutes into the game, Acton took a turnover in the eighth minute up the middle of the field and beat the goalie from the top of the penalty box to tie it.  She was just getting started.

In the 27^th minute, Acton got a leg on her own rebound and watched her shot trickle in to give the Warriors a lead they would not relinquish.  With less than eight minutes left in the half, she completed the hat trick with a hard shot from a tough angle on a charge from the left side.

L-S goalkeeper Katie Sia had a solid game in net, stopping 16 shots, but she couldn't get to Rachel Secrist's hard shot to her right with three minutes left in the half.  That cut the lead to 3-2.  Secrist scored again in the final minute of the game to make it a 4-3 final.

The Westford players may not believe it, but Madison Acton had yet to put the ball in the net this season – even in scrimmages.

"She said she was going to score today," said Berry. "I don't know if she was thinking hat trick."

 "I knew it was going to click sooner or later," added Acton.

It clicked.  Three times.  Plus an all-important assist.