ALTOONA, Pa. – The Penn State Altoona women's soccer team ended its regular season schedule on a strong note Tuesday night at Spring Run Stadium, shutting out Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference opponent La Roche University 4-0.

Mallorie Smith (Bellefonte, PA/Bellefonte) scored her second hat trick of the season and third of her career for Penn State Altoona (5-6-5, 3-2-2 AMCC), while Dee Dee Abbott (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick) netted her first collegiate goal and added an assist.

Adeline Baustert (Apollo, PA/Apollo-Ridge) picked up her fifth win of the season and fourth shutout, making three saves between the pipes in her 16th start of the season at goalkeeper.

After Penn State Altoona narrowly missed on scoring chances early in the game, the Lions finally found the back of the net shortly before halftime. After a La Roche (2-10-3, 1-5-1 AMCC) foul in the Redhawks' end of the field set Penn State Altoona up with a free kick along the left sideline, Abbott sailed a shot over the keeper and into the top right corner of the goal at 43:52 for the game's first tally.

The Lions carried that momentum over to the second half, as Smith and her team broke the game open by putting three more goals on the board.

Penn State Altoona made it 2-0 just 2:31 into the second period. Sarah Huston (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) passed the ball to Smith near the top of the box, and she sent a shot overtop the La Roche keeper at 47:31 to double the Lions' advantage.

Penn State Altoona capitalized on a corner kick for its next goal. Abbott's corner came to Smith, who tapped a shot into the goal at 54:59 to increase the home team's lead to 3-1.

Smith clinched the hat trick and her team-leading 10th goal of the season in the closing minutes of the contest. Rachel Rutkowski (Canonsburg, PA/Canon-McMillan) fired a pass up the right sideline to Smith, who streaked into the box and chipped a shot around the keeper to give Penn State Altoona a 4-1 lead at 87:27. Rutkowski's assist represented her first collegiate point.

Penn State Altoona finished the game with statistical advantages over La Roche in shots attempted (24-10), shots on goal (13-3), and corner kicks 4-2.

Sadie McConnell (New Enterprise, PA/Northern Bedford) and Smith each tied for the game-high in shots on goal with three apiece, while KK Wolfe (Coatesville, PA/Coatesville) and Rutkowski each had two shots on goal.

With Tuesday's result in the books, Penn State Altoona women's soccer wraps up the number four seed in the upcoming AMCC Tournament. The Lions will host a first-round game this Saturday, October 29 at 2:00 p.m. against fifth seed Hilbert College.

The winner of Saturday's matchup will advance to the AMCC semifinals, traveling to top-seeded Pitt-Greensburg on Wednesday, November 2 for a game at 2:00 p.m.