PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas – Alicia Cooper's hat trick was among a barrage of goals scored by the Lady Panthers in an 8-1 win over Grambling State on Sunday afternoon.
 
Cooper scored goals in the ninth, 13th, and 16th minutes to record her second hat trick of the season and help lead the Lady Panthers (5-3-1) to their third consecutive win.
 
Grambling State (0-5) concluded a winless trip to Texas to open Southwestern Athletic Conference play. The Lady Tigers conceded 15 goals in matches at Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M.
 
The Lady Panthers finished the opening weekend of SWAC play with a 2-0 record. They are the only SWAC team undefeated and untied after the first two matches of the season.
 
Prairie View A&M controlled the match from the opening whistle and never let up, as the Lady Panthers scored seven goals before halftime. Khalisha Bond opened the scoring less than three minutes in when she fired home a rebound shot from a teammate from eight yards out.
 
Barely three minutes later, Ashley Virgil scored what would turn out to be the match-winning goal when she scored off a pass from Alex Fields.
 
Cooper's trio of goals stretched Prairie View A&M's lead to 5-0. Leading 5-1 in the 24th minute, Reshana Watson sent a shot into the Grambling State goal area, only to see the ball wind up in the net when the Lady Tigers' clearing pass was errant.
 
Though Watson's previous shot was ruled an own goal, it would be only a matter of minutes before she would claim her first goal in a PVAMU uniform. This time, Watson left no doubt as she fired a strike following passes from Kara Ballard and Santa Clarisa Maldonado.
 
Arianna Rountree had assists on two of Cooper's goals in the first half. She later scored one of her own barely four minutes after the restart.
 
Dominique Dillon picked up the win in goal for her fifth victory of the season. Clarissa Ledesma entered the match in the second half and made two saves in a relief appearance.
 
Grambling State's only goal of the match came in the 20th minute on a perfectly placed free kick from Ciara Dawson that went into the upper left corner of the goal from 27 yards out.
 
Virgil and Bailey LaBauve also recorded assists during the match for the Lady Panthers.
 
The Lady Panthers return to action Friday when they host Mississippi Valley State. The Devilettes are 1-0-1 after the opening weekend of SWAC play. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Lady Panthers Field.
 
TWEET of the MATCH

A hat trick from @_liciaaaa Cooper leads #PVFutbol to an 8-1 victory over Grambling! @TheSWAC pic.twitter.com/Q1Z2uoxP7G

— PVAMU Panthers (@PVAMUPanthers) September 28, 2015