CHICAGO - The Illinois Wesleyan University women's soccer team put on a scoring clinic against North Park University, taking a 7-nil decision Saturday, Oct. 12. The Titans scored twice in the first 10 minutes and added five in the second half to improve to 7-5-0 on the season, and 2-1-0 in CCIW play.

Sophomore Caelyn Steffens (Normal, Ill.-Normal Community) registered a hat trick with goals in the fifth, 68th,and 81st minutes. It is the first three-goal game by a Titan since Sydney Fox netted three against Illinois College, Sept. 17, 2015. Senior Flower Edington (Wilmette, Ill.-New Trier Township HS) sophomore Erin Peck (Wheaton, Ill.-Wheaton St. Francis HS), junior Cameron Hindel (Batavia, Ill.-Batavia HS), and senior Braelyn Spears (San Antonio, Texas-Univ. Incarnate Word HS) also scored a goal each.

Steffens got the Titans on the board in the fifth minute with a score off a cross from Peck. Edington doubled IWU's lead on a feed from sophomore Heather Dietrich (Geneseo, Ill.-Geneseo HS) in the ninth minute to give Illinois Wesleyan a 2-nil edge at halftime.

Peck buried her first goal the year on a cross from freshman Lauren Shanks (Bloomington, Ill.-Central Catholic HS) to make it 3-0. Steffens then scored her second goal of the game from a feed from Hindel  in the 68th minute. Less than 30 seconds later Hindel found the back of the net herself as junior Megan O'Neal (St. Charles, Ill.-St. Charles East HS) assisted on the score to make it 5-nil.

In the 81st minute, Steffens secured the hat-trick on a cross by senior Kaitlyn Chen (Saratoga, Calif.-Saratoga HS). 

Spears closed out the scoring in the 88th minute, the first in her IWU career, with O'Neal and Chen getting credited with assists.

IWU recorded 33 shots in the game, which tied for eighth-most in any game in women's soccer history. Edington and Shanks led the way with six shots followed by Hindel and O'Neal with five. Sophomore Maria Fields (Frankfort, Ill.-Lincoln-Way East HS) and junior Kelli McCarthy (San Diego, Calif.-Cathedral Catholic HS) combined for the shutout against North Park, with both Fields and McCarthy notching one save each.

The Titans are back in action against CCIW opponent Carthage next week Saturday, Oct. 21. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.