Senior Adam Wallace scored four goals to give Vermont a 4-2 victory over Hartford in America East men’s soccer at Centennial Field on Saturday afternoon.
Wallace, one goal shy of the school record, became the first Catamount to score four times since October 3, 1976, when Gil Low had four against Norwich. He also has tallied six goals in his last three games after scoring only four times in the first 55 games of his career.
With the win, Vermont improves to 5-1-1 (16 points) in the America East, 10-5-1 overall and a perfect 6-0-1 at home this season.
Picked to finish seventh in the preseason coaches poll, the Catamounts moved into the conference lead ahead of Northeastern (5-1-0, 15 points) with one league game to play.
“Wally was tremendous today and I couldn’t be happier for him,” commented Vermont coach Roy Patton on Wallace’s performance. “He, like many of his teammates, has really found a great time to pick us up. Today was a great team effort for all the lads.”
Wallace opened the scoring in the sixth minute finishing a rebound of a goalmouth drive by Tony Anderson. Eight minutes later, Anderson chipped a pass to Tim Parisi on the flank, and Parisi’s right-to-left cross found Wallace, who nodded it home at the back post.
After the break, Hartford’s Alon Lubezky cut the lead in half as he headed home a free kick by Guy Primor in the fifty-first minute. Less than three minutes later, Scott Webb was hauled by Hawks’ keeper Ryan Carr and on the ensuing penalty kick, Wallace beat Carr (five saves) to the left side.
Hartford (5-10-0, 3-3-0 America East) came right back and again it was Lubezky, who redirected, with his chest, a service from Primor past UVM keeper Ryan Corry.
But Wallace, after another feed from Parisi, put the game out of reach in the seventy-eighth minute blasting one home from 12 yards. With two assists, Parisi now has 14 in his career to move into a tie for sixth.
It was the last regular season home game for six Vermont seniors, Wallace, Parisi, Corry, Tim Parisi, Keli Helgason and Mike Samer. The Catamounts wrap up their regular season at Boston University on Sunday, November 3.
-Sports Info.
