POCATELLO, Idaho --- UC Irvine jumped on Idaho State early en route to a 3-0 victory Thursday afternoon at Davis Field.
Kiana Palacios scored two goals in the first 11 minutes beginning with a brilliant goal in the fifth minute as Kelsey Texeira set her up and she battled a defender into the box before slotting the ball far post to make it 1-0.
Her second came just six minutes later receiving a ball from Noel Baham and floating it over Bengal keeper, Shawna Hennings in the 11th minute making it 2-0, 'Eaters.
Idaho State (3-6) made the initial push in the match firing off four shots in the first eight minutes with three on target putting Maddie Newsom to the test on a couple occasions after she hadn't seen a shot on goal in over 130 minutes.
By the end of the half, Newsom had five saves, a new career high, and kept ISU scoreless with the 2-0 advantage.
UCI (8-1) kept coming eventually evening the shots at nine early in the half. The Anteaters would put home a third goal in the 72nd minute as Jessica Miclat found Lili Andino in the box who would tap her cross home and make it 3-0.
ISU never relented leading the match with 16 shots and eight corners, but Newsom stood tall along with junior Maria Magaña seeing her first career action to come together for the 3-0 shutout.
Palacios' performance was her third this season with multiple goals. She's now earned multiple points in four consecutive matches in addition to her fourth game-winning goal of the season and seventh of her career.
Andino's goal plants her firmly in second on the squad with four. Assists went to Texeira, her third, Baham, her sixth to lead the team, and Miclat, the first of her career.
The combined shutout is the first of the season for the 'Eaters, fifth overall shutout. Newsom finished with a career high, six saves. The 'Eaters put up 12 shots, and kept with their consistency of half the shots they take on frame.
UCI has won its last four matches marking its second win streak of as many as four on the season. The eight wins through the team's first nine matches equals a program-best set by the 1998 squad that started the season 8-0-1.
The offense continues to make waves scoring three times today after entering the match averaging 2.38 goals a match. The three assists are a touch under the 3.13 it was averaging.
The next match will be a big test heading into hostile Salt Lake City to face the Utah Utes on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 12:00 p.m. The match will be live streamed via the Pac-12 Network.
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