ALBANY – Senior forward Joe Hunt recorded a hat trick with three goals throughout the final 17 minutes to lead The College of Saint Rose to a 5-1 victory against visiting Northeast-10 Conference rival Stonehill this afternoon. The five goals are the most by Saint Rose since a 5-0 triumph at Southern Vermont on October 2, 1996.

Hunt also added an assist while junior fullback Justin Paden and junior midfielder Scott Couch  were responsible for the other two strikes. Sophomore midfielder Liam Barrett assisted on both of those goals.

Freshman keeper Patrik Ohlsson made seven saves for the Golden Knights (2-11-1/1-9-1 NE-10), while sophomore Brandon McFarlane registered three stops for the Skyhawks (4-8-2/1-8-1 NE-10). The team shot totals mirrored each other. Both squads generated 13 chances, eight that were on target.

Barrett set up the first goal when he sent a pass to Hunt who was standing inside the arc at the top of the box. Hunt then lifted the ball to a streaking Paden who settled and slipped a shot inside the far post. On a similar play five minutes later, Barrett pushed a pass through the box to Couch who found the near-top corner to make it a 2-0 affair at intermission.

Stonehill stepped up the pressure at the onset of the second period, which resulted in the opening 15 minutes being played mostly in the Saint Rose defensive third. The effort finally paid off in the 71st when sophomore fullback Kevin Moroney knocked home a loose ball at the Golden Knights doorstep.

However, Saint Rose got it back when Hunt took a pass from freshman forward Taras Panchishak  and used his speed to gain space inside the area before ripping a shot past McFarlane at the 73:20 mark. In the 88th minute, freshman forward #William Miller, Jr.# served a ball from the left flank that sprung Hunt who subsequently made no mistake about finishing. Hunt then capped off his personal scoring barrage with four seconds remaining after he gathered a loose ball and beat the last Stonehill defender at the midfield stripe. He then dribbled in alone for 60-yards before driving home a shot inside the right post to put the final touches on the Golden Knights first home win of the year.

Saint Rose  is schedule to play its final home match of 2008 on Tuesday when league rival Le Moyne arrives in the Capital Region. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm. Meanwhile, Stonehill has a 3:30 pm home date with NE-10 foe New Haven on Wednesday.

Box Score