California freshman Alex Morgan, who began the weekend with a hat trick in the Bears’ 4-0 victory over St. Mary’s and then scored in their 2-0 win over then-No. 1 Santa Clara, is the Soccer America Women’s Player of the Week for games played Sept. 24-30.
Morgan’s hat trick against St. Mary’s was the first by a Cal player since Sierra Schlesinger accomplished the feat three years ago. Morgan almost equaled the school record of four goals, but her shot less than four minutes into the game went off the right post.
Morgan, who hails from Diamond Bar, Calif., leads Cal with five goals this season.
“Alex has had a fairly difficult last six months with an ACL tear and an ankle injury at the start of preseason,” said Cal coach Neil McGuire after the St. Mary’s game. “This is a testament to her work ethic. This week she did individual practice on goal scoring with the coaches. The work paid off, and she’s deserving of these goals for sure.”