MARIETTA, Ga. - Coming off a tough 2-0 loss to No. 1 Dalton State College (Ga.) on Friday evening, the third-ranked University of Mobile Men's Soccer team bounced back just two days later with a 4-2 victory over Life University (Ga.) on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 13 in north Georgia. In the victory, Emilio Cazares picked up his third hat trick of the season with three goals in the first half alone against the Running Eagles. Cazares' third hat trick comes just two matches after the first-year Ram managed his second hat trick of the season against Florida National on Oct. 7.
The win improves Mobile's overall record to 11-2-1 on the season, while the SSAC record advances to 6-1-0. Due to the conference point system, the Rams still sit atop the current SSAC Men's Soccer standings.
Tip of the Cap to Emilio
Sunday's match between Mobile and Life remained scoreless through the first 38 minutes until Emilio Cazares put the Rams on the scoreboard with his 13th score of the season. Ismael Castillo picked up the assist on the match's first goal that saw Mobile go up, 1-0. Just three minutes later, Cazares netted his second goal of the day to give the Rams a 2-0 advantage over Life. Cazares then continued to ride momentum as the transfer senior then recorded his third goal of the day just two minutes later, giving him three goals in the time span of five minutes. Cazares continues to lead the Rams with 15 goals scored this season, while pacing the team with 33 points tallied through 14 matches. Following Cazares' three goals, Mobile went to halftime leading Life, 3-0.
In the second half, Life hit the scoreboard in the 51st minute to cut Mobile's deficit down to two goals. Almost 15 minutes later, the Running Eagles made things interesting with their second goal of the day, cutting the lead down to just one. However, Leonardo Fioretti da Silva notched a huge insurance goal in the 76th minute to put the Rams back up two goals. The goal is Fioretti da Silva's first goal scored this season and just the second in his collegiate career. From there, Mobile ended the match with a 4-2 win as starting goalkeeper Ty Turner managed three clutch saves in the process.
Mobile out-shot Life 21-13 in the victory, seeing 13 shots recorded on goal. Life managed just five shots-on-goal in the losing effort. Joseph McMahon led all players with eight shots, while Emilio Cazares recorded six. Cazares ended last week with six goals off 11 total shots in three matches to lead the SSAC, giving him a great shot to claim his first SSAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week Award that will be announced Monday.
What's Next
Mobile returns to work on Thursday, Oct. 17 with a road match against the Faulkner Eagles (Ala.) in Montgomery, Ala. Thursday's match is a conference match in the SSAC and is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. CT.
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About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
