Firebirds Fight On for Fifth Straight Win, 4-1 vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Thomas Aquinas (3-3-1, 1-1 ECC) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
|
Dist. Columbia (6-2, 2-0 ECC) | 1 | 3 | 4 |
WASHINGTON, DC – In a game plagued by 60 combined fouls, the University of the District of Columbia men's soccer team scored goals on three penalty kick plays en-route to a 4-1 victory over East Coast Conference foe St. Thomas Aquinas College on a hot Saturday afternoon at UDC Field.
The Firebirds (6-2, 2-0 ECC) won their fifth straight game on the strength of sophomore midfielder Gabriel Torres' hat trick performance. The reigning ECC Offensive Player of the Week scored the first goal of the game nearly 10 minutes in when he rebounded his own penalty kick shot after an initial save by STAC's Jack Nicholson, and he added two more penalty kick shot goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes, respectively. Sophomore reserve forward Salah Warid added an insurance goal with just under three minutes left in regulation, heading in a well-placed cross by junior midfielder Kelvin Hererra, who now has four assists this season. Warid's goal was his 1st career goal.
Defensively, UDC's back line held the Spartans to 14 total shots, six shots on goal, and only two corner kick opportunities. STAC scored its lone goal in the 28th minute when defender Aljaz Mak headed in a direct kick by midfielder Alejandro Coyt-Orozco. That goal forced a 1-1 tie which lasted through the end of the first half and just over six minutes into the closing half. UDC freshman goalkeeper Luis Aguirre stopped all five other shots he faced as the reigning ECC Defensive Player of the Week improved to 5-0 on the season.
For Torres, who now leads the ECC in points (26), goals (10) and assists (6), this marked a season-high scoring performance and his 2nd career three-goal game. Meanwhile, Aguirre tops the ECC in save percentage (.800), goals against (4) and goals against average (1.03), and he has not allowed more than one goal in five appearances this season.
The Firebirds' five-game win streak is the longest in program history since 2002. They will look for a 6th straight win in a non-conference battle Wednesday, September 27th as UDC hosts West Chester at 4 PM on UDC Field. The Golden Rams are currently 4-1-1 overall with a scheduled home game tomorrow vs. Bloomsburg. UDC and WCU last met in 2011, with UDC winning at home, 2-1.