Ottumwa, IA – Sophomore Lucas Bauer (Oldenburg, Germany/IGS Kreyenbruck) recorded a hat trick to lead No. 3 Indian Hills Men's Soccer past visiting Jefferson College (MO) 5-2 on Sunday afternoon. The Warriors remain unbeaten on the year at 7-0-1.
Bauer tallied the 25th hat trick in program history with a pair of first half goals and a late strike in the second half to keep the Warriors' unbeaten streak intact. Bauer teamed up with fellow sophomore Daniel Mulero (Asturias, Spain/Salesianos Santo Angel Aviles) who tied a school record with four assists in the win as the Warriors produced at least five goals in a match for the fourth time this season.
Indian Hills, ranked No. 3 in the latest National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Men's Soccer poll, outshot the Vikings 22-11 on the day and earned six corner kicks to Jefferson's two. The Warriors put 10 shots on target compared to just five for the Vikings.
Sophomore Bernardo Manzano (Palmas, Brazil/Layton Christian Academy) secured the win in net for the Warriors after stopping three shots. The keeper ranks second in the NJCAA this year with six victories.
Bauer opened up the scoring just 2:36 into the match on Sunday as the sophomore teamed up with Mulero and freshman Vittorio Bellesi (Breno, Italy/Olivelli Putelli) to chip a shot up and over the outstretch arms of the Jefferson keeper. The Vikings responded with a penalty kick goal just five minutes later to even the match at one.
Bauer broke the deadlock in the 44th minute after Mulero beat a series of defenders in the box before sliding a pass to a streaking Bauer to put Indian Hills back on top, 2-1. Jefferson responded less than a minute later to even the contest at two right before the halftime horn.
Mulero opened up the second half with the eventual game-winner as the sophomore delivered a free kick strike from 30 yards out that bent past the Vikings' goalie. Santiago Cardenas (Lima, Peru/Bruno Traverso Damonti) doubled the lead with his fourth goal of the year at the 68:44 mark on assists from Mulero and Gonzalo Garcia (Catagena, Spain/Colegio).
Bauer put the game out of reach at the 80:36 mark on assists from Mulero and Diego Lazaro (Laval, Canada/Horizon-Jeunesse) to cap the scoring.
Mulero currently ranks fifth in the nation with 21 points this year. The sophomore, who trails the nation leader by just three points, has posted seven goals and seven assists while his three game-winning goals are second-most in the NJCAA.
The Warriors return to action Wednesday afternoon with a key non-conference tilt at No. 4 nationally ranked Cowley College (KS). Kick-off from Arkansas City is set for 1:00 PM.
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills men's soccer matches. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device: Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
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