University of Scranton

The University of Scranton men's soccer team dominated Wilkes University from start to finish, earning a 7-0 victory Wednesday evening at Weiss Field in Scranton.

The Basics

• Final Score: Scranton 7, Wilkes 0
• Records: Scranton (11-1-3, 7-0 Landmark); Wilkes (1-11-2, 1-5-1 Landmark)

How It Happened

• The Royals struck first in the 14th minute. Amid a crowded box, Nick Suraci directed a headed pass toward Matt Capretto, who tapped the ball into the bottom-right corner to give Scranton a 1-0 lead.
• Less than three minutes later, Scranton doubled its advantage. After Luke Roberto's initial shot off a corner kick was denied, Capretto collected the ball and fired it into the net for his second goal of the night.
• Just 1:08 later, Capretto and Roberto combined again to extend the Royals' lead to 3-0. After putting a defender on the turf with a cutback, Capretto sent a cross through the box, where Roberto was waiting at the far post to tap it home.
• Capretto completed his hat trick in the 26th minute, controlling the ball inside the box and creating enough space to fire a shot into the far-right corner of the net, giving Scranton a commanding 4-0 lead.
• The Royals added a fifth goal with just 14 seconds remaining in the first half. After Ronnie Prislupski's initial attempt was saved, Caden O'Connell collected the rebound and found the back of the net for his first career goal.
• Scranton continued its offensive barrage 6:53 into the second half. Drew Paxson sent a pass to Jake Acosa, who delivered a one-touch, backheel feed to Capretto. Capretto then fired a bullet through the goalkeeper's legs to record his fourth goal of the night and make it 6-0.
• The Royals capped off the scoring in the 67th minute when Parker Skelton sent a ball into the box for Ryan Schalk. Schalk's shot deflected off a Wilkes defender and into the net for his first career goal, sealing Scranton's dominant 7-0 victory.

Top Performers

• Capretto recorded career highs with four goals and nine points, while also adding an assist.
• Roberto tallied one goal and one assist.
• Schalk and O'Connell each scored their first career goals.

Inside the Box Score

• Scranton held a 32-4 advantage in shots and a 18-1 edge in shots on goal.
• The Royals held a 10-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Up Next

• The Royals return to action on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Washington, D.C., to face Catholic University. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.