CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Vanessa Aponte recorded her first career hat trick and Lea Raedle set a school record with four assists, leading The Citadel to an 8-2 win at Chattanooga in the regular season finale for both teams.

The Bulldogs are the ninth-seed in the Southern Conference tournament and travel to Lexington, Va., for an opening round game against eighth-seeded VMI on Wednesday at 3 p.m. The Citadel enters the postseason with an overall record of 6-13 and 2-7 in the SoCon.

The Keydets are also 2-7 in the league (3-14-1 overall) but earned the home game over the Bulldogs on the strength of a 3-2 win in Charleston on Sept. 26. The winner of The Citadel-VMI game will meet top-seeded Samford in Birmingham in the quarterfinals either Nov. 1 or 2.

Chattanooga will be at Wofford in the other first round game on Wednesday.

The eight goals are the most ever recorded by the Bulldogs in a SoCon game, topping the previous mark of four set against Georgia Southern in 2012.

Raedle and Mady Riegel also had two goals against the Mocs (1-16-1, 0-9), senior Nicholle Griffith scored the first of her career and Kim Maldonado added two assists. Sam Millspaugh, starting in goal for the injured Naomi Carter, made four saves and earned her second career victory.

Aponte added an assist to her three goals and has season totals of 10 goals, four assists and 24 points. She had scored two goals in a game three times in her career, including earlier this year against Charleston Southern, and her goal and point totals are tied for fourth in a season in The Citadel record book.

In the career record book, Aponte ranks first in assists (19), second in points (71) and third in goals (26).

Raedle's four assists are one more than the previous school record which was done twice, most recently by Shanna Couch against Alabama State in 2009. Raedle's six assists this year are one shy of the school season mark she shares with Aponte while her 13 career assists is second only to Aponte.

Riegel had the first two-goal game of her freshman season and is third on the Bulldogs with six goals on the year.