AMHERST, Mass. ­ Junior Amherst College midfielder Cathy Poor (Harwich Port, MA) netted her second career hat-trick, scoring in the seventh, 24th and 70th minutes to lead the women¹s soccer team to a 4-0 win over Pioneer Valley rival Smith College on Wednesday afternoon.

Poor, the Jeffs¹ leading scorer each of her first two years, opened the scoring in Wednesday¹s game at the 6:05 mark, finishing a rebound off a shot from rookie Jenny Rossman (Newton, MA) that had deflected off the right post. The goal, Poor¹s second on the young season, catalyzed a huge Amherst offensive surge in the opening 30 minutes, during which they leveled 19 shots on junior Smith goalie Lizza Sandoe (Lebanon, NH).

After a Pioneer turnover in the midfield late in the 23rd minute, Poor struck again, converting a feed from classmate Margaret Rubin (McLean, VA) with a right-footed blast from the top of the 18. Just four minutes later, the Jeffs would extend their lead again, with junior Heather Govern (Beverly, MA) heading a cross from classmate Laura Raybould (Denville, NJ) over a leaping Sandoe, putting the Jeffs up 3-0 going into the half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, the Pioneers, playing their season opener, went on the offensive. Anchored by senior Co-captain Amanda Edelhart (San Francisco, CA), who finished with four shots on goal for the game, Smith put together a pair of stellar scoring chances. Amherst sophomore Brooke Diamond (Longmeadow, MA), barely tested in the Jeffs¹ 2-0 season-opening win over Colby College on Sunday, had a little more work to do on Wednesday, and she shut down Smith¹s scoring runs with a pair of solid saves, en route to nine saves for the game.

By the 65-minute mark, the Amherst midfield began to take charge of momentum, leading up to Poor¹s third goal of the game, a left-footed blast off a feed from senior Co-captain Meg Riley (Wellesley, MA) just into the 70th minute.

The Pioneers wouldn¹t threaten again, and the Jeffs improved to 2-0 on the season, avenging a scoreless draw in Northampton in the two teams¹ only meeting last year.

For Poor, the hat trick was the second of her stellar career, after a four-goal, one-assist performance against Colby-Sawyer College during the 1999 season.

The Jeffs (2-0, 1-0 NESCAC) are next in action on Saturday, when they travel to Lewiston, Maine, for their first game against NESCAC-foe Bates College since their dramatic 1-0 win over the Bobcats in the 1996 NCAA Elite Eight. Start time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. Smith (0-1) is also in action on Saturday, traveling to Westfield State College for a 10:30 a.m. start.