Norwich Overpowers Men's Soccer, 6-0
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Freshman forward Joseph Thongsythavong (Salem, Mass.) scored his second career hat trick to power the Norwich University men’s soccer team to a 6-0 victory on Friday night to open Norwich’s Bicentennial and Homecoming Weekend.
NORTHFIELD, Vt. – Freshman forward Joseph Thongsythavong (Salem, Mass.) scored his second career hat trick to power the Norwich University men's soccer team to a 6-0 victory on Friday night to open Norwich's Bicentennial and Homecoming Weekend.
Thongsythavong opened the scoring just 1:24 into the game to give the Cadets (5-1-1, 1-0-1 GNAC) a lead that they would never look back from. He scored again in the 17th minute and capped the hat trick in the 56th minute to take over the GNAC scoring lead with eight goals on the season.
Sophomore midfielder Amerle Nemeye (Burlington, Vt.) scored twice, while senior midfielder Josue Lopez (Chula Vista, Calif.) added one goal as the Cadets finally exercised their Emmanuel demons after battling the Saints to three straight regular season ties the last three years.
Thongsythavong buried a shot into the right corner of the net off a feed from Matt Bento (Brookfield, Conn.) for the first goal of the game, catching the Emmanuel defense sleeping and Norwich would never look back from there.
Nemeye made it 2-0 in the 10th minute after he sped past a defender on the right wing and buried a left-footed shot far post.
Thongsythavong scored again after a miscue by the Emmanuel goalkeeper gave him the ball with a completely open net and he buried his chance from 20 yards out before the Saints' defense could recover.
Lopez scored his second of the season with a cannon strike into the left corner of the net after a ball skipped behind the Emmanuel defense and Lopez was able to get a running start on it to bury the ball into the left corner of the net.
Nemeye scored again in the 54th minute off an assist from Staige Davis (Shelburne, Vt.) and then Thongsythavong capped the hat trick in the 56th minute.
Freshman goalkeeper Robert Wagenseller (Poway, Calif.) made four saves to improve to 5-1-1 on the season. Sebastian Llanes (Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Fla.) came on for his first collegiate action and was untested in 25 minutes.
Norwich outshot Emmanuel 21-6 in the game.
EC senior keeper Jonathan Ferrarini (Hanover, Mass.) made eight saves over 60 minutes of work before giving way to sophomore Matthew LaMondia () who made two saves over the final 30 minutes of action.
The Cadets will now hit the road for four straight games starting with Suffolk on Wednesday, Sept. 25. while the Saints return to Boston for a non-conference tilt against Wentworth on Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7:00 PM.
*Release courtesy of Norwich University Athletic Communications