DALLAS, Texas (August 31, 2017) – Sophomore Cio Bargallo opened the season scoring a school record four goals as the Texas A&M International University women's soccer team defeated Delta State 5-3 on Friday afternoon on the campus of Richland College. TAMIU opens the season 1-0 for the first time since 2014 while the Lady Statesmen of DSU fall to 0-1.
 
"I am very proud of the effort against a good Delta State team," said TAMIU women's head coach Felipe Arias. "I applaud our girls determination to fight the full 90 minutes and come out with the victory. Cio's performance was something special but it wouldn't have been made possible without the hard work of her teammates behind her."
 
Bargallo made history with her strike in the 82^nd minutes as the Blanes, Spain, native became the first Dustdevil in program history to score four goals in a single match. She also became the six player in Heartland Conference history to tally four goals and first since Brooke Wendl of Lubbock Christian did so in 2015. 
 
The Lady Statesmen nearly got off to a dream start in the first minute when Cat Buckley found separation from her defender but Aubrey Hall was up for the task making a point blank save pushing the ball to her right. The rebound landed at the foot of a DSU player but she was ruled offside negating the goal.
 
The Dustdevils first scoring opportunity of the game came at 8:34 in the first half when Valeria Macias found space near midfield. Her shot near post was pushed away by DSU's Ana Branch. Bargallo came close to putting TAMIU ahead with her first shot of the contest just two minutes later but it sailed wide left.
 
Bargallo didn't need to wait much longer to open her scoring account in the 2017 season scoring her seventh-career goal at 18:40 after a wonderful long ball from Monica Castro. The sophomore anticipated the pass from Castro near midfield perfectly followed by a perfectly weighted chip over Branch.
 
Freshman Nicole Cohen nearly doubled the lead just three minutes later after recovering a 50-50 in the DSU half. She used her speed to find separation but her effort from 20 yards out narrowly missed the left post.
 
The Dustdevils went up 2-0 just after the 20 minute mark on an own goal as Castro forced the DSU defense to make a mistake a deflected shot near the right post. Bargallo continued impose her will on the DSU defense scoring her second of the game just before the halftime whistle. Castro picked up her second assist on the game after recovering another deflected ball and pulling Branch out of goal before finding a wide-open Bargallo in front of the net.
 
The Lady Statesmen came out with more fight in the second half scoring two goals within the first five minutes before tying the match at 3-3 on Traci Monroe's first goal of the season in the 60^th minute.
 
The match didn't stay tied for long as Bargallo regained control of the match for the Dustdevils with her third goal of the match just a minute later. She once again timed her run perfectly on a ball over the top from Tayler Schott to net her first career hat trick. She would add another in the final ten minutes on a shot from 25 yards out to end the hopes of a Lady Statesmen comeback.
 
The Dustdevils will return home to host St. Mary's in both teams Heartland Conference opener on Tuesday, Sept. 5, at Dustdevil Soccer Field. The first 100 fans will receive a TAMIU t-shirt.
 
MATCH NOTES
- Valeria Macias recorded a match-high seven shots, three of those on-target.
- With her four goals, Cio Bargallo moves up to seventh all-time in career goals scored with 10. She also becomes the eighth player in program history to record two or more career multi-goal games.
- Viviana Parada, Tayler Schott, Nicole Cohen and Tamara Cafuta recorded starts in their first career match at TAMIU.
- The Dustdevils scored five goals in a match for the fist time since defeating UT Permian Basin 5-0 on Sept. 11, 2015.