Hat Trick Powers Regis Past Men’s Soccer
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Regis (Mass.) (3-4-1, 3-3-0) | 2 | 2 | 4 |
|
Mitchell (0-7-1, 0-5-0) | 2 | 0 | 2 |
NEW LONDON, Conn. – Regis senior Federico Lavini-Ayalla recorded a hat trick on Wednesday afternoon, helping power the Pride past Mitchell College 4-2 in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tilt at Alumni Field.
Lavini-Ayalla opened the scoring to put Regis ahead just before the nine-minute mark, added his second goal in the 26th minute, and completed the hat trick 50 minutes and 12 seconds into the contest on a penalty kick, snapping a 2-2 tie and giving the Pride the lead for good.
After Lavini-Ayalla put Regis on top, the Mariners answered on a header by senior Dylan Lucey (Lebanon, Conn.) off a throw-in assist delivered perfectly by fellow senior Matt Ladd (Griswold, Conn.). Seven minutes later it was Lavini-Ayalla again, scoring unassisted to give the Pride a one goal edge, but six minutes after that Mitchell again tied the score, this time on the first goal of the fall by sophomore Nathan Da Cruz (Seymour, Conn.).
The score remained tied through the intermission, before a red card in the goalie box for the Mariners set up the Pride with a penalty kick, which Lavini-Ayalla sent past Mitchell goalkeeper Dylan Kinsella (Waterbury, Conn.). Junior Agu Silva-Olivera added an insurance goal for Regis at the 57:40 mark.
Kinsella logged all 90 minutes in goal and made six saves. Freshman Chris Alcon got the start in goal for Regis, and despite leaving briefly due to injury for one minute and 18 seconds, played the entire match, tallying six saves.
Lucey led the Mariners with seven shots, four of those on goal, while freshmsn Gabe Ansani (Trumbull, Conn.) got off four shots, two on goal. As a team, the Mariners outshot Regis 19-15, yet the Pride held a 5-2 advantage in corner kick opportunities.
The Mariners (0-7-1, 0-5 GNAC) will look for their first GNAC win of the season when they return to play on Saturday, September 28, with a road match at Norwich University, scheduled to begin at 5:00 pm. The Pride (3-4-1, 3-3 GNAC) host the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in their next game on Saturday, September 28.
