DeLand, Fla. – Kaitlin Pani and Samantha King each scored four goals to lead Stetson to a 15-13 victory over San Diego State on Wednesday night. Pani's fourth goal of the game marked her 111th career goal, setting a new program record previously held by Jordyn Humphrey.
 
"This was a very solid win for us," said Head Coach Sue Murphy. "The team played well in all areas of the game, remained disciplined and managed the clock. This was a total team win!"
 
San Diego State struck first, scoring just 16 seconds into the game, but Stetson responded with a 3-0 run to take the lead. King opened the scoring for the Hatters, followed by a free-position goal from Kathleen Nichols and a goal from Miya Scanlan on a nice assist from Pani. The Aztecs answered with four straight goals, but Nichols added her second free-position goal to keep Stetson within one.
 
Trailing by three goals, Pani scored two consecutive goals, including one off a behind-the-back assist from Scanlan, to close the gap. The Hatters went into halftime trailing 7-6.
 
Stetson came out strong in the second half, scoring three consecutive goals to regain the lead. Katie Kornacki tied the game with a goal, followed by Nichols' third free-position goal and Scanlan's tally to put the Hatters ahead. San Diego State responded with a goal, but a flurry of scoring in the final minutes of the third quarter saw King score her second of the game, then Pani completed her hat trick. The Aztecs tied it at 11, but King's third goal with 12 seconds left in the quarter gave Stetson a 12-11 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
Pani opened the fourth quarter with her fourth goal, setting the new school record at 111 career goals. King then scored her fourth less than a minute later, pushing Stetson's lead to 14-11. San Diego State responded with two quick goals to pull within one, but with 7:22 remaining, Kornacki drove toward the net, took a hit, and managed to slot a shot past the goalie to give Stetson a 15-13 lead. Maddie Eckert and the Stetson defense held off the Aztecs for the remainder of the game to secure the win.
 
"I have to give all the credit to my teammates," said Senior Kaitlin Pani. "We played a complete game start to finish today. It's been awesome this year. It shows the amount of work and grit that we have put into the season this far. We've learned a lot from our past losses and we learned a lot from this game so we have to stay in that mentality of playing gritty and fighting to the end."
 
Pani finished with four goals, two assists, three ground balls, seven draw controls, and two forced turnovers. King added four goals and an assist, while Nichols contributed three goals, two ground balls, and a caused turnover. Scanlan and Kornacki each scored twice and added an assist. Maddie Eckert faced 25 shots and recorded 12 saves for a .480 save percentage.

Up next, Stetson will face reigning ASUN Champions Coastal Carolina on Saturday, April 5, at noon, with the Hatters honoring their seniors prior to the game.