Opponent:
Salem at Randolph | September 9 | Lynchburg, Va. | 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT FOR THE SPIRITS
Salem sophomore Darilyn Nieto tied Sawyer Ferguson for the program record in hat tricks (four) with a three-goal outing in the Spirits' 3-2 non-conference victory over St. Andrews on Wednesday afternoon in Laurinburg, N.C.
Nieto not only equaled the mark established by Ferguson, but she also became the first player in Salem history to notch hat tricks in back-to-back contests. Coincidentally, Nieto became the first player in program history to net multiple hat tricks in two different seasons.
Salem, which improved to 2-0 on the season, tallied 13 shots (10 shots on goals) and one assist in the match. Nieto led the Salem offensive attack with seven shots and six shots on goal while teammate Caitlin Clements was responsible for four shots (two shots on goal).
St. Andrews finished the contest with 14 shots (eight SOG) and notched an assist.
NIETO EARNS USA SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Three days after tying the program mark for most single-game goals (five), Salem sophomore forward Darilyn Nieto was named USA South Conference Player of the Week. The announcement came on Monday, September 4th, in a release from the league's office.
The distinction marks the fourth Player of the Week honor from the USA South Conference for Nieto, who claimed three consecutive Rookie of the Week awards in 2022 on September 5th, September 12th and September 19th. It marks the first Player of the Week honor for Nieto in her career, joining Brooke Bukas (twice) and Jordan Lanier as the only other Spirits to receive the award.
DUPLICATE HAT TRICKS
With Nieto's three-goal outing against St. Andrews on Wednesday evening she became the first player in Salem soccer history to notch hat tricks in consecutive matches.
Coincidentally, against the Knights, Nieto also tied Sawyer Ferguson's record for most hat tricks in a career with four.
There are five players with multiple hat tricks in Salem soccer history, including Sawyer Ferguson (4), Darilyn Nieto (4), Maddie Crumpton (2), Jordan Lanier (2) and Ellie Montes (2).
Only Nieto and Crumpton have amassed two hat tricks in the same season. Nieto accomplished the feat on September 6, 2022 (vs. Sweet Briar) before replicating her four-game performance against the Vixens by doing the same at Agnes Scott on September 18th.
Crumpton netted three goals against both Eastern Mennonite (September 15) and Wesleyan (Ga.) (October 15) in the 2015 campaign.
With her five-goal outing against Hollins in the season opener, along with her three goals against St. Andrews, Nieto became the first Spirit to have multiple hat tricks in two different seasons.
| Player | Opponent | Date | Goals |
| Sawyer Ferguson | Judson | Oct. 18, 2013 | 4 |
| Sawyer Ferguson | N.C. Wesleyan | Sept. 1, 2012 | 3 |
| Sawyer Ferguson | Oglethorpe | Sept. 28, 2014 | 3 |
| Sawyer Ferguson | Pine Manor | Nov. 2, 2014 | 3 |
| Darilyn Nieto | Sweet Briar | Sept. 6, 2022 | 4 |
| Darilyn Nieto | Agnes Scott | Sept. 18, 2022 | 4 |
| Darilyn Nieto | Hollins | Sept. 1, 2023 | 5 |
| Darilyn Nieto | St. Andrews | Sept. 6, 2023 | 3 |
| Two Hat Tricks | |||
| Maddie Crumpton | Eastern Mennonite | Sept. 26, 2015 | 3 |
| Maddie Crumpton | Wesleyan (Ga.) | Oct. 18, 2015 | 3 |
| Jordan Lanier | Trinity | Oct. 30, 2015 | 3 |
| Jordan Lanier | Agnes Scott | Sept. 8, 2017 | 3 |
| Ellie Montes | Blackburn | Sept. 2, 2017 | 3 |
| Ellie Montes | Warren Wilson | Sept. 1, 2021 | 3 |
| One Hat Trick | |||
| Tarryn Bundy | Wesleyan (Ga.) | Sept. 28, 2013 | 5 |
| Tarryn Johnson | Washington Adventist | Aug. 31, 2014 | 3 |
| Jae Lehman | Mary Baldwin | Oct. 26, 2019 | 3 |
| Nataly Mojica | West Virginia Tech | Sept. 19, 2014 | 3 |
| Taylor Norman | Wesleyan (Ga.) | Oct. 19, 2013 | 3 |
| Alexi Saganich | Warren Wilson | Sept. 19, 2010 | 3 |
| Kimberlee Templeton | Mount Mary | Nov. 6, 2015 | 3 |
ALL-TIME SERIES WITH RANDOLPH
Salem has met Randolph on three occasions in soccer, winning all three contests along the way.
The Spirits faced Randolph during the course of the first season in NCAA, earning a 1-0 victory on September 21, 2008.
The following season, Salem made a trek to Lynchburg the following season, on September 30th. In that contest, the Spirits earned a 2-1 overtime victory to move the series lead to 2-0.
It was another 12 years before the two units clashed on the pitch, which came on September 8, 2021. Salem emerged with the 2-1 win in Lynchburg, Va. Salem soccer capitalized on a pair of first half goals by Gina Franco and Ellie Montes, along with seven saves from the goalkeeping tandem of Alexcina Wartski and Jordan Tomberlin, to complete victory in that contest.
| Date | Year | Opponent | Result | Home Score | Opp. Score | OT |
| Sept. 21 | 2008 | vs. Randolph | W | 1 | 0 | |
| Sept. 30 | 2009 | at Randolph | W | 2 | 1 | OT |
| Sept. 8 | 2021 | at Randolph | W | 2 | 1 |
OPENING THE CAMPAIGN WITH THREE CONSECUTIVE VICTORIES
Salem soccer is looking to open the season with a three straight wins for just the third time in program history.
A victory against the WildCats on Saturday would mark the first time since the 2016 campaign that Salem has opened with a trio of victories. That season, under head coach Jay Callahan, Salem claimed five consecutive wins, including the first three over Ferrum (3-1), Eastern Mennonite (1-0) and Guilford (2-0). Salem went onto finish that season 18-2-1 overall and was 12-1-1 in the USA South Conference.
The first time that Salem opened with three wins in a season was in 2012, also under Callahan's tutelage. The Spirits grabbed a 4-1 victory over N.C. Wesleyan in the season opener and followed with a 3-0 win against Emory & Henry and a 9-0 triumph versus William Peace. The streak came to a halt with a 5-0 setback to Adrian at the Fort Rapids Tournament in Columbus, Ohio.
WHERE RANDOLPH STANDS THIS SEASON
Randolph entered the 2023 season picked to finish 11th in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference preseason polls.
The WildCats have managed to silence their naysayers through the first two matches of the slate, posting a 1-0 victory over Eastern Mennonite (Sept. 1) in the season opener before following with a 3-0 triumph against Carolina University five days later.
Madison Booker leads Randolph in goals scored with two, while Alana Ellis and Sterlyn Woodward have one each. Goalkeeper Alexis Bossi has notched both wins in net, making one save in 135 minutes for the WildCats.
