GENEVA, N.Y.—Sophomore defender
Griffin Coutts scored three goals as the Hobart soccer team cruised to a 4-0 win over St. Lawrence in a Liberty League contest on Cozzens Field this afternoon. It was the conference opener for both teams.
With three goals today, Coutts became the first Statesman to record a hat trick since Charlie Kelly scored three goals on Oct. 8, 2013. Junior midfielder
Joe Pariano added four points on a goal and two assists. Senior
Tommy Chyzowych played all 90 minutes in goal and made one save as he recorded his third shutout of the season.
Zach Amato played all 90 minutes in goal for the Saints. He made five saves.
FOR THE RECORD
- Hobart improves to 6-0-1 on the season with a 1-0-0 mark in league play.
- The win continues the Statesmen's best start to a season since 2011. Hobart was 7-0-0 that season.
- St. Lawrence falls to 2-5-0 overall on the season and is 0-1-0 in conference play.
- The 4-0 victory is Hobart's largest margin of victory in the series and it is the first time since 2009 that Hobart has scored four goals against the Saints.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Hobart dominated the stat sheet, finishing with a 15-4 advantage in shots, including a 9-1 margin in shots on goal.
- The Statesmen had a 4-2 edge in corner kicks.
THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES
- While the Statesmen controlled the pace of the game for the majority of the contest, the game's momentum was decided in the first five minutes of the contest.
- In the fourth minute, St. Lawrence was awarded a penalty kick. Chyzowych dove to his left to rob Ryan Campbell of a goal.
- Thirty seconds later, at the opposite end of the field Hobart was awarded a penalty kick. Pariano stepped up and buried his second penalty kick goal in as many games.
HAT TRICK HERO
- Coutts put the game out of reach, recording a natural hat trick. His three goals came in three different ways.
- In the 22nd minute, he scored with a sensational scorpion kick goal with his left foot. Standing on the 6-yard box, he used his left foot to flick a Noah Fischer header past the St. Lawrence goalie. Pariano also had an assist on the goal.
- Five minutes later, Coutts headed home a corner kick from the right goal post. Pariano had an assist on the goal.
- Coutts rounded out the hat trick in the 53rd minute when he bent a free kick from the top of the 18-yard box, around the St. Lawrence into the lower left corner of the cage.
CLOSE CHANCES
- Daniel Scali nearly scored his first collegiate goal as time expired in the first half, but Amato punched the ball over the crossbar as the horn sounded.
- In the 69th minute, Will Slayton had a shot blocked on the goal line by a St. Lawrence defender.
UP NEXT
Hobart will be back in action on Wednesday, Sept. 24, when it welcomes RIT to Cozzens Field. The Liberty League contest is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
