PENSACOLA, Fla. - In a game featuring 10 different starters from last season's final contest, senior striker
Sam Kelly scored thrice in the season opener leading Faulkner to a 5-2 road win over NCCAA Division II National Champions Pensacola Christian Thursday evening. The Englishman became just the fourth different Eagle to net three in a single match and recorded just the sixth hat trick in program history.
Moments after the first half water break in the 25th minute,
Adrien Alexandre and
Ilan Tabet sparked the attack off a Pensacola Christian goal kick to restart the match. Alexandre delievered the through ball to Kelly who finished with a left-footed effort to make it 2-0. Just 10 minutes later,
Gabino Morin intercepts a home Eagle pass and splits the centerbacks with a ball that is laced to the far top corner by the striker to set the score at 3-0 at halftime. Kelly's final strike came with just 20 seconds to play connecting with
Carlos Buruca on a give-and-go off a quickly taken free kick and curling the ball to the far post with a first touch right-footed effort sealing the scoreline.
It took less than three minutes and a French duo for the scoreboard to ignite during the first true road game played by any program in the Faulkner Athletic Department since February. Tabet whipped the third consecutive corner to the near post at the six meter box and found an unmarked Alexandre who headed the effort into the onion bag.
Chris Soto scored his first collegiate goal in the 64th minute, taking his first touch from Alexandre's distribution right around a defender and slotting across frame with his right foot.
Riley Rhodes scored the first for the hosts in the 60th minute to cut a three goal Faulkner advantage into two and drew a penalty in the 87th, which was converted by Zachary Kluever, to push the score to 4-2.
Cristobal Romero stopped six shots to pick up a win in his debut between the pipes for the Eagles.
The two sides square off again Saturday at the Emory Folmar YMCA Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
