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WATERBURY, Conn. - - Manuela Restrepo converted two from the penalty spot and recorded a hat trick in leading the Wilmington University women's soccer team to a 4-2 victory at Post in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference opener for both teams on Saturday at LaMoy Field.

The hat trick is the first for the Wildcats (2-1-2, 1-0-0 CACC) since the 2021 CACC Tournament Semifinals when Jimena Garcia Risoto performed the feat against Georgian Court. Restrepo scored the first three goals of the game for Wilmington.

But the victory didn't come easy for the Wildcats as the Eagles (1-4, 0-1 CACC) kept fighting back after each Wilmington goal.

Evelyn Payne created the first penalty kick for Restrepo, as she raced onto a ball into the box. Payne got the ball around the goalkeeper, but was tripped for a call. Restrepo buried the PK for the 1-0 lead in the 10^th minute. But the teams went into the halftime break tied, 1-1, as Post scored in the 33^rd minute.

Manuela Restrepo created her own penalty in the 69^th minute, getting around a defender at the top of the box before getting tripped. She again converted from the spot, giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead with her fourth goal of the season.

Restrepo wasn't done though, as she completed her hat trick just moments later for the 3-1 lead. Rockesha Dayes and Emilie Larsen played touch passes to Restrepo atop the 18-yard box and her left footed shot got over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar in the 73^rd minute.

The Eagles responded just 37 seconds later though, scoring off the restart to make things interested once again, 3-2, with more than 15 minutes to play.

The Eagles continued to press looking for the equalizer and it came down to a corner kick in the final minute. The ball popped out and Post's goalkeeper tried knocking it back into the box. Her shot was blocked, leading to an open field and net for Evelyn Payne. She raced down field to beat the clock and slid it home for her first goal of the season to finish off the Eagles, 4-2.

Wilmington led in shots, 19-12, including 12-7 in shots on goal. Mio Nakajima made five saves for the Wildcats while Aryn Nisbet recorded eight saves for the Eagles.

The Wildcats are in the thick of CACC play now, as they travel to Jefferson for their next contest on Wednesday afternoon. The game at Ravenhill Field is scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m.