Buffalo, N.Y. – The Molloy men's soccer team clinched the top seed in the East Coast Conference Championship defeating D'Youville University, 6-0, Saturday afternoon at Dobson Field. The Lions improved to 8-3-6 overall and 6-0-2 in ECC play, while the Saints fell to 1-12 overall and 0-7 in league play.
How it Happened
- D'Youville tested the Lions in the first 58 seconds, a shot was saved by graduate student Nick Conklu.
- One minute later, senior J.P. Rodriguez blasted a goal to put Molloy ahead, 1-0, two minutes into the contest.
- The home team looked to knot the contest at one in the fourth minute, but Conklu denied the Saints of cracking the scoreboard.
- The Lions continued the offensive attack with four consecutive shots, but all were saved by D'Youville goalkeeper Ethan Picard.
- Rodriguez netted his second goal of the afternoon in the 23rd minute to increase the Molloy lead to 2-0.
- Junior Andy Blanco tallied his first goal of the season in the 37th minute to bring the score to 3-0 heading into halftime.
- The second half was dominated by the road team and the offensive outburst from freshman Michael Hofmann. The Centereach native collected his first collegiate goal in the 71st minute and continued the offensive showing with two additional goals over the next six minutes of play, to collect his first career hat trick.
- Hoffmann's hat-trick solidified the 6-0 victory and home-field throughout the East Coast Conference Championship.
Top Performances
- Hofmann totaled three goals.
- Rodriguez netted a pair of goals.
- Blanco scored his first goal of the season.
- Conklu made four saves to earn his eighth win of the season.
Up Next
The Lions will head to Georgian Court to take on the Lions in the regular season finale Friday, October 28. Kick-off is set for 3:00 p.m.
