Sophomore forward Paige Achey recorded her second hat trick of the season as No. 14 Butler shut out Cowley by a 5-0 score Wednesday at BG Products Veterans Sports Complex.
For the third consecutive game, Butler (10-3-0 overall, 7-0-0 conference) held the opponent off the scoreboard and posted its sixth shutout of the season. The win was Butler's seventh straight victory on the season and kept the Grizzlies undefeated in Jayhawk East play.
The Grizzlies quickly took the lead just over two minutes into the contest when Zion DeWerff crossed a pass into the box to Sandra Thiman, who tapped in a one-time shot just inside the left post for the opening goal.
In the 14th minute, DeWerff put Butler up 2-0 when she chipped in a one-timer herself on a end-line pass from Paige Achey. Thiman pushed a pass 35 yards upfield to Achey, who slid the ball with her left foot to DeWerff for the goal.
Achey scored her first of three straight goals for the Grizzlies in the 29th minute off a free kick play. After a Cowley foul placed a Butler free kick from 30 yards out, Aylin Torres found a wide-open Achey in the middle of the field. Achey then turned and fired a 12-yard shot into the goal to give Butler a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
Achey's second goal came in the 60th minute by tapping in a deflected save by Cowley goalkeeper Luisa Marschhausen. The goal was set up by a long forward pass from Melonie Baca upfield to DeWerff, who then crossed a pass from the right side. Achey hit a one-touch right-footed shot right at a diving Marschhausen, but the ball came right back to Achey for a easy putback.
With just eight seconds remaining in regulation, Achey was able to score her third goal by beating Marschhausen one-on-one after receiving a pass from Anahy Guevara. Achey snuck behind the Cowley defense on the pass, then put a left-footed shot into the left side of the goal.
Butler goalkeepers Bethany Reeves and Lexi Winkle combined on the shutout, with Reeves starting the opening 67:19 of the contest.
NOTES: Butler won its 24th straight home conference game, which ties the second-best mark in program history (Oct. 8, 2002 to Oct. 3, 2007). The Grizzlies' school record for most home conference wins is 26 games, which was snapped in Butler's last loss at home in 2014 against Hutchinson. The Grizzlies have now won 50 of their last 51 home conference games... Butler improved to 16-0-0 all-time against Cowley while posting its ninth shutout over the Tigers... Butler won its 12th straight conference game, which ties for fifth place all-time in program history... In seven conference games, Butler has outscored its opponents by a 27-3 margin.
