OTTAWA, Kan. - Hot on the heels of earning his first NAIA Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award,
Cale Scott helped no. 16 Ottawa to a thoroughly dominant 5-1 win over Avila on Wednesday. The redshirt junior scored four goals for the Braves to pass his previous single-season high, including a pair of goals separated by 32 seconds.
Ottawa nearly opened the scoring in the 7th minute from the foot of
Simon Kindt. His shot had beaten Jackson Mayer, but an Avila defender was able to get a foot to the shot for a clearance off the line.
Slobodan Novicevic had a great chance for the Braves in the 14th minute, forcing Mayer to dive low and to the left for the save. The senior had another chance in the 19th, forcing Mayer to his right this time to parry the ball out for a Braves corner.
Scott opened his account in the 24th minute with a flashy bit of footwork. After collecting a pass at the top of the 18-yard box, he dribbled past his defender to the endline before cutting back to his left. He then rocketed a shot over Mayer into the top corner of the near post.
Avila managed to level proceedings in the 28th minute against the run of play. The Eagles sent a long ball from their own defensive third that checked up awkwardly between
Luca Fofonka and
Leo Mautret. Avila's James Martin came crashing in and managed to get just enough of a touch on the ball to put it in the back of the net.
As the rain began to come down heavier, the Braves jumped right back on the attack, keeping Avila from clearing its defensive third. The effort yielded results in the 33rd minute, as
Antonio Natalucci sent a pass through the middle to Scott, who was able to take a collecting touch and rocket one over Mayer's head to give the Braves a 2-1 lead.
Scott forced another big save by Mayer in the 40th, with the Eagles's netminder forced to dive low and right to parry for a corner, but halftime arrived with a one-goal lead for the Black-and-Gold.
Ottawa kept up blistering pressure to open the second half, with Natalucci nearly adding a goal in the 58th minute and
Matias Mazieres almost finding net in the 59th. Both shots were parried out for Ottawa corners, but the Braves couldn't convert the extra opportunity.
The Braves kept testing Mayer, ultimately recording 16 shots on goal during the match, but Scott sealed the result in the 78th minute, settling a cross from
Juan Lopez-Arteaga before beating Mayer between the legs for the hat trick.
A mere 32 seconds later, Scott stamped a new personal best into the record books with his 14th goal of the season, as Ottawa forced a turnover on the kickoff and
Mateo Trigo sent a long pass to Scott for a near-post curler around Mayer.
Trigo would put his own name on the scoresheet in the 87th minute, collecting a pass on the right side of the six-yard box and dribbling across the mouth of goal. After feinting twice, he was able to get Mayer to bite on the third then chipped the ball with the outside of his right boot into the net.
Ottawa looks to continue its five-match KCAC winning streak on Saturday, hosting McPherson College. Kickoff from Dick Peters Sports Complex is set for 3:30 p.m.
