Payne's hat trick led Clarence past Frontier, 4-1

Overview

• Emma Payne scored three goals, and Elianna Higgins added one in Clarence's 4-1 home victory Wednesday.
• Payne's two late goals extended a 2-1 lead to the final margin; Gianna Ballaro finished with two assists.
• Ella Gizzi scored for Frontier off a Marissa Tirado assist, and Mya Hellerer made 17 saves.
• Clarence finished the contest atop ECIC 1 at 5-0-1 in division play, while Frontier stood fourth at 3-3.

Emma Payne scored a hat trick, including two goals 20 seconds apart late in the second half, as Clarence defeated Frontier 4-1 in an ECIC 1 girls soccer game Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Clarence High School.

Clarence led 2-0 at halftime before Frontier cut the deficit to one. Payne then scored with 8:10 and 7:50 remaining to give Clarence a three-goal cushion.

Payne opened the scoring with 18:50 left in the first half on an assist from Juliana Heer. Elianna Higgins made it 2-0 with 12:50 remaining, with Gianna Ballaro providing the assist.

Frontier answered in the second half when Ella Gizzi scored off a Marissa Tirado assist with 28:58 to play. That made it 2-1 until Payne's late pair. Ballaro assisted on the first of those two goals, and Mia Hurley set up the second.

Ballaro finished with two assists, while Heer and Hurley each had one. Frontier goalkeeper Mya Hellerer made 17 saves. Hannah Harrishburg recorded two saves for Clarence, and Vivienne Fuller added one.

Payne finished the contest with season totals of 14 goals and six assists. Ballaro had seven assists on the season, while Higgins had three goals. Gizzi's goal was her second of the season, and Tirado's assist was her second.

The victory brought Clarence to 8-1-1 overall and 5-0-1 in ECIC 1, first in the division standings through Wednesday's contest. Frontier fell to 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the division, listed fourth behind Lancaster, which also had a 3-3 division record.

ECIC 1 standings

Through Sept. 30.