BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Atjon Thaqi netted a hat-trick to key the Olivet Nazarene University men's soccer team's dominant CCAC-opening 8-0 win over St. Francis (Ill.) Saturday afternoon at the Bahr Soccer Facility.

The first half began with Olivet Nazarene quickly taking control of the match. Stanley Hooker opened the scoring in the 9th minute, assisted by Kingsley Kanu. The Tigers maintained pressure, and Daniel Martinez doubled the lead just two minutes later with an assist from Atjon Thaqi.

Olivet Nazarene continued to dominate, with Thaqi scoring twice more, once in the 26th minute with help from Kanu, and again in the 28th minute, assisted by Cedric Kunzli. The team closed the half with a commanding 4-0 lead, having successfully converted multiple scoring opportunities while limiting the Fighting Saints to limited chances.

The second half commenced with Olivet Nazarene maintaining their offensive pressure, highlighted by an early penalty kick goal by Thaqi in the 72nd minute, increasing the lead to 5-0. Moments later, Kanu extended the advantage with a goal in the 77th minute, assisted by Nathan Schmidli, marking a prolific period for the home team.

Olivet Nazarene continued to dominate as Matteus Valone found the net in the 80th minute with an assist from Thaqi, pushing the score to 7-0. The team capped off their performance with a final goal by Martinez in the 86th minute, assisted by Kanu, sealing an 8-0 victory. The half concluded with Olivet Nazarene firmly in control, showcasing their offensive capabilities and maintaining a clean sheet against St. Francis.

Thaqi led Olivet Nazarene with three goals and two assists, finishing with seven shots, five of which were on goal. Kanu contributed significantly by scoring one goal and adding three assists. Martinez tallied two goals from five shots, with three of those being on target. Goalkeeper Kunzli ensured a strong defensive performance with four saves, securing a shutout in the match.

The Tigers improved to 6-2-1 overall and 1-0-0 in conference play with the victory.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu