LYNDON, Vt. – Junior
Christian Torres (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) netted a hat trick to power Plymouth State University to a 5-1 win over Vermont State University Lyndon in non-conference men's soccer action at Varsity Athletic Field on Tuesday afternoon.
Torres opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he bent a right-footed corner kick into the goal. PSU doubled the margin 10 minutes later on another corner when a defender misplayed a header for an own goal.
Torres struck again three minutes later when he blocked a clearance attempt, corralled the loose ball and blasted a shot past the Lyndon keeper to make it 3-0.
He completed the hat trick early in the second half, rifling a screamer from 30 yards out into the bottom-right corner. The Hornets got a goal back in the 69th minute, but junior
George Bergin (Brentwood, N.H.) countered for the Panthers with just under a minute remaining to account for the final score.
Plymouth State improves to 3-2-0, while the Hornets dip to 0-3-1.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, VTSU Lyndon 1
- Plymouth State (3-2-0)
- VTSU Lyndon (0-3-1)
How it Happened:
- Torres got the scoring started with a corner from the left side that wrapped around the near post for a 1-0 lead just 4:26 into the contest.
- The Panthers earned another corner 10 minutes later, and the Hornets' attempt at a clearing header skipped back past the goalie for an own goal.
- A strong individual effort led to Torres' second goal of the afternoon as he chased down a backwards pass, deflected the clearance attempt, outran the defender to the loose ball, then fired a shot past the goalkeeper to make it 3-0 in the 18th minute.
- Sophomore goalkeeper Trevor Spofford (New Boston, N.H.) made a pair of saves to preserve the three-goal margin heading into halftime.
- Torres completed the hat trick less than three minutes into the second half when he blasted a shot from distance into the bottom-right corner.
- VTSU Lyndon spoiled the shutout bid in the 69th minute when a Hornet intercepted a throw-in and delivered a perfect strike to the top-right corner just over the fingertips of freshman Yahir Tinajero (Manchester, N.H.) to make it 4-1.
- Plymouth State maintained control of the game, though, with Bergin accounting for the final score after cutting past a pair of defenders and sending a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner with just under a minute remaining.
By the Numbers:
- Torres recorded his first collegiate hat trick.
- Bergin's tally was his second of the year.
- Senior Caleb Charnley (Harlow Town, United Kingdom) registered an assist.
- Spofford made two saves in the first half, while Tinajero made one stop in the second half.
- The Panthers owned a 23-7 shot advantage, including a 9-4 edge in shots on goal.
- Corner kicks were even, 5-5.
- Plymouth State remains unbeaten against the Hornets, improving to 8-0-1.
Up Next:
- The Panthers return to conference play on Saturday (Sept. 19) when they head to WestConn for a 1 p.m. match.
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