BROOKHAVEN — St. Augustine gave up an early goal to Brookhaven Academy and never could catch up Tuesday night. The Cougars won by six goals in a 7-1 final highlighted by a Mallory Martin hat trick. 

Camielle Calcote, Su Tate, Ava Calcote and Matti Claire Smith each scored a goal for the Cougars. Brookhaven Academy led 4-0 at halftime before conceding a goal to St. Augustine four minutes into the second half. 

Martin scored her hat-trick clinching goal with 11 minutes to go in the game to extend Brookhaven Academy’s lead to 6-1. The senior said she hadn’t scored a hat trick in a while. Her best goal of the night was a long-distance shot which flew beyond the reach of the opposing keeper two minutes into the game. 

“It felt good. It is the first hat-trick I’ve had in a while so it felt good to lead the team,” Martin said. “I have tried to take more shots on the goal from the outside so Reagan Fortenberry can get any rebounds and tap them in. I wasn’t surprised at all to score that goal. I have been practicing shooting more from outside the box, reading the goalie and seeing how she will react.” 

Martin is also one of the best crossers on the team. Head Coach Alex Brown said Karen Hernandez and Martin can send in beautiful passes and corner kicks.

Martin said she used to play winger on the outside before moving to a central midfielder role. The experience of playing outside has helped her with crossing and having stronger corners. 

Ava Calcote scored a beautiful header to close out the game. She moved perfectly in the box to set herself up, spun and directed the ball in for the seventh and final goal. 

“Ava is one of the smartest girls on the team when it comes to soccer IQ. She understands the game,” Brown said. “She does such a good job. Tonight, she made a run and made it look easy.” 

Brown said the win showed the team can score goals. BA has trained hard on finishing opportunities and scoring. Set pieces such as corner kicks and throw-ins are crucial opportunities for the team to score. Brown said they have the weapons to capitalize on goal-scoring chances. 

“Karen and Mallory are our strongest corner takers, and in combination with how physical our girls play, we are set up to take advantage of set pieces,” Brown said. “In general, we have more pace and athleticism from the past. We do a good job knowing when to play centrally and when to play wide. We use the space well, forcing opponents to make decisions on who they want to guard. It gives us the chance to win a lot of one on one battles.”