Walker nets hat trick as Terriers close regular season with win

Box Score Senior Kyle Walker scored the first hat trick in Wofford's Division I era as he led the Terriers to a 5-1 victory in the regular-season finale Wednesday night at Snyder Field.

Walker, who had not scored a goal in his career until the second half of Friday's 4-1 triumph over Lipscomb as part of the South Carolina/Tennessee Challenge, found the back of the net three times becoming the first Wofford (7-11-1) player since Jody Redmond to tally three goals in one game. Redmond scored three at Limestone Oct. 26, 1994 during a season in which he registered 10 goals.

The Inman, S.C., native put the Terriers on top 1-0 at 10:06 after receiving a pass from junior Callum Easter. Easter took an initial shot eight yards from net, which was deflected right back to him and he then one-timed a feed to Walker, who was standing wide-open in front of the cage.

Easter also factored into Wofford's next score when he sent a long through ball from the right side to a streaking Phil Beene. Beene never broke stride and buried the ball past Panther goalkeeper Joe Nasco near the left post at 15:30.

Freshman Kentrel Owens would then tally his team-leading fifth of the season just after halftime, at 46:54, when he corralled his own shot on a defender deflection from 12 yards out.

The only blemish on goalkeeper Joey Taylor's night came at 48:09. Gino Cozzolino converted a Birmingham-Southern (10-10) Penalty Kick following a Terrier foul inside the 18-yard box. Taylor finished with two saves while playing 80:33 before giving way to back-up Thomas Hunter for the final 9:27. Hunter proceeded to not record a save in his second game action of the season.

Walker then returned to the scoreboard five minutes later. Freshman Armin Kinigadner sent a corner kick from the right side to the top of the 18-yard box, which Walker ran up on and his sliding attempt pushed the ball into the net at 53:16.

He then tacked on the game's final score to cap his hat trick efforts, heading in a cross from Owens at 78:10.

The Terriers out-shot the Panthers, 19-14, and held a slim 3-2 edge on corner kicks.

Wofford will next play in the Southern Conference Tournament quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. Saturday when it faces nationally-ranked and top-seed Furman at the Paladins' Stone Stadium in Greenville, S.C.

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