WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson men's soccer team (5-1) extended its current winning streak to five games on a wet Wednesday evening at Pioneer Soccer Park, taking down Medgar Evers College (1-4) 8-0 in non-conference action.
 
Senior Dante Petrocelli (Succasunna, N.J./Roxbury) recorded a hat trick in the win, while sophomore Kyle Adams (Bordentown, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional) added two goals of his own. Sophomore Keysean Brant-Sharp (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) added a multi-point game with a goal and an assist, and the Pioneer goalkeeping trio of sophomore Kyle Quigley (Columbus, N.J./Northern Burlington Regional), senior Tim Morris (Stony Point, N.Y./Albertus Magnus), and freshman Scott Altieri (Sparta, N.J./Sparta) combined to make three saves in the clean sheet.
 
The Pioneers dominated the pace of the game from the opening kick, firing two shots just wide in the opening three minutes before Petrocelli put home his first tally of the contest, dribbling up the right flank and sending a low, skidding shot along the turf from the top right corner of the box. Cougars' keeper James Hyacinthe was unable to handle the skipping shot as it slid through his hands and under his body for the game's first goal. Less than two minutes later Petrocelli struck again when senior JP Gonzales (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Tech) fired a shot from 25 yards out that Hyacinthe parried to the ground, but a wide open Petrocelli fired the rebound into an open net to double the lead.
 
The final 38 minutes of the first half turned into a physical battle, with 12 fouls called and two yellow cards handed out. Despite possessing the ball in the offensive end several times, the Pioneers could not find the back of the net again in the first half. William Paterson's best opportunity came in the 41st minute when junior Samuel Senat (Vauxhall, N.J./Union) got behind the back line on a breakaway, but Hyacinthe shut the door with a highlight reel kick save to keep the score 2-0 heading into halftime.
 
The offensive onslaught continued in the second half, as the Pioneers generated several excellent chances, leading to six goals over the final 45 minutes of action. In the 52nd minute, sophomore Cameron Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./Saint John Vianney) found the back of the net for the second consecutive game when he buried a low shot to the far corner off of a feed from Brant-Sharp. Five minutes later it was Brant-Sharp's turn to put one home, sending a diving header off of a long throw in from junior back Zach Perez (Edison, N.J./Rutgers Prep) just over the reach of Hyacinthe to make it 4-0. Continuing to pressure the back line for Medgar Evers, the Pioneers drew a foul just inside the penalty area and Adams buried the ensuing penalty kick into the top left corner for his second goal of the season. Four minutes later he struck again with a low shot through traffic off of a loose ball in the box.
 
Putting the finishing touches on a convincing win, Senat scored his first goal in a Pioneer uniform, deflecting a shot off of a defender and inside the right post. Petrocelli eventually capped off the hat trick in the 85th minute with another low shot to the far post to cap off the eight goal night for William Paterson.
 
The Pioneers finished the game with a 35-7 advantage in the shot category, with 16 of those shot attempts finding the target. The Orange and Black also held an advantage in corners, 7-1 in the win.
 
The Pioneers return to action Saturday when they open New Jersey Athletic Conference play on the road against The College of New Jersey beginning at 1:00 p.m.
 
For all of the latest information on the Pioneers, visit http://www.wpupioneers.com and http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia.