GOLDEN, Colo. - Nicole LaTourette's hat trick led #5 Colorado School of Mines to a lopsided 7-0 win over Black Hills State on Friday.

The Orediggers (14-1-1, 11-0-0 RMAC) won their ninth game in a row to reduce their "magic number" to three points, needing just one win out of their final two games to clinch the RMAC regular-season title. Mines will get its first shot at a fifth championship in six years on Sunday hosting Regis.

Mines outshot BHSU 44-1 including 22-0 in shots on goal. The scoring began only 2:28 into the game when Acacia Ortiz fed a beautiful ball forward for Kaylee Kennedy to finish, and Jennifer Kendall made it 2-0 in the 25th minute off Audrey Shin's assist. LaTourette's first came in the 38th minute as she one-timer a superb cross by Hannah Stoner inside the box, and she scored again just before the half, this time from the penalty spot after Chaney Brugman drew the foul.

Taylor McRae opened the second-half scoring with a goal assisted by Riley Stein at 53:09, and Eliot Edwards scored in the 65th minute before LaTourette completed the hat trick on a shot off Shin's corner in the 88th minute.

NOTABLES
- LaTourette's hat trick was the 15th in program history as she became only the sixth different Oredigger to score three in a game. It was Mines' first hat trick since Jackie Knott in the 2016 RMAC Tournament against Western State.
- Mines' seven goals were its most in a game since 2012 when the Orediggers beat Eastern New Mexico 8-0. It was the most Mines goals in an RMAC game since 2009 when they beat Nebraska-Kearney 9-0. 
- Kennedy scored her second goal in as many games; her two goals, in total, took only 3:51 after she scored 1:23 into the win at MSU Denver on Monday.
- Kendall's goal was her seventh of the year, and she and LaTourette are now tied for the team lead.
- Stein's assist of Taylor McRae's goal was the senior's first career point. 
- Shin's two assists were the first helpers of her career.
- Mines' 44 shots were a season high.
- Sierra Roth made her first career start in goal and picked up her first win and shutout without having to make a save. Mines took the opportunity to rest a number of starters ahead of the postseason, with Audrey Shin also earning her first career start and the entire bench seeing significant minutes in the second half.

NEXT UP
Mines plays its final regular-season home game on Sunday, hosting Regis at 2:30 p.m.