Aug. 29, 2016

DALLAS (SMU)— Brenden Lee recorded his first career hat trick versus Incarnate Word, leading the No. 12 Mustangs to a 3-0 victory Monday.

Lee, a senior midfielder, came off the bench for the Mustangs early in the first half. SMU tallied just three shots with one on goal in the first period. The score was still 0-0 when the Mustangs headed into the locker room at half.

Ten minutes into the second half, Lee and the rest of the Mustangs found a spark. In the 70th minute, sophomore midfielder Emil Cuello took a shot from right outside the penalty box. It was blocked by Incarnate Word goalkeeper Joshua Blair, but Lee sprinted in to catch the rebound and sailed the ball into the net giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.

Eight minutes later, Lee managed to find a loose ball around 15 yards out and tapped it into the open goal, making the score 2-0 in favor of the Mustangs.

Less than two minutes later, Lee found the back of the net from roughly 15 yards. The assist came from freshman Garrett McLaughlin in the 79th minute of the match to account for the final score.

"He's a dangerous attacking player," head coach Kevin Hudson said of Lee. "He's quick and he's tough to deal with. So when Brenden gets going, he can be a handful."

After a loss to Michigan State last Friday night, Lee was most happy with team improvements.

"We bounced back from Michigan State and felt it wasn't good enough on Friday," Lee said. "We wanted it more. We were hungry. I wouldn't say it was a complete 180, but it's a step in the right direction of accomplishing our goals."