HAVERFORD, Pa. – A hat trick by Gettysburg College's Geoff Menge led to a 6-2 victory over the Haverford College men's soccer team Saturday afternoon at Walton Field. Menge scored twice in the first half and added one more and an assist in the second.
Not only did Gettysburg (5-5-2, 2-3 CC) dominate offensively in the opening stanza, they kept the Haverford (5-6, 1-4 CC) attack relatively silent, holding a 12-1 shot advantage. The Fords limited Gettysburg to just six shots in the second half, but the 18 total on the day was the most allowed by HC this season.
Menge netted his first goal in the 18th minute when Ryan Shaffer's shot was saved by Haverford goalie Jeff Rickert, but the ball caromed off Rickert, right to Menge who kicked it in. Doug Ammon crossed from the right to Eric Hynes for GC's second goal. In the 23rd minute, Shaffer got in on the scoring, beating a Haverford defender and Rickert for a 3-0 Bullets advantage.
The Fords got on the board four minutes later when a free kick by Matt Gorski from the 18 yard line snuck in just under the cross bar. It was Gorski's first collegiate goal and gave him a team-leading seven points this season.
Four minutes before the close of a busy first half Menge added on to the Bullets lead as Teddy Smith's cross found Menge amongst a scuffle in front of the goal.
Menge greeted new Haverford goalkeeper Charlie Michele six minutes into the second half with his third goal. Eric Hynes passed backwards to Menge off a free kick and Menge booted it in from just outside the 18 yard line into the left corner. Less than a minute later the Fords cut the deficit to 5-2 when a nice cross from the corner by Brian Pepe-Mooney found Dan Garfing, who sent a header in from the top of the box for his first career goal. Shaffer scored the final goal of the game in the 58th minute on an assist from Menge.
Rickert made four saves in the first half and fell to 1-1. Michele made one save. Mike Walmer had four saves, all in the second half, for Gettysburg and improved to 5-2-2.
The Fords will head down south for two contests next week. Haverford takes on Mississippi College Tuesday at 3 p.m. (CT) and Millsaps College Wednesday at 7 p.m. (CT)
