WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Freshman
JJ Ruehlemann led the Williams men's soccer team to a 5-1 victory against Keene State on Saturday afternoon at Cole Field, as he recorded his first career hat trick.
The Ephs also celebrated their five seniors,
David Armini,
Mohamed Keussom,
Sam Gibson,
Henry Kirkman, and
Evan Vasquez, and improved to an 8-1-4 overall and 5-1-2 NESCAC record with the victory.
Williams dominated from start to finish, outshooting Keene State 40-16 and holding a 20-4 advantage in shots on goal.
Ruehlemann set the tone early for the Ephs with the opening goal in the 25
th minute.
Spencer Mix recorded the assist as he delivered a sharp cross from the right corner, finding Ruehlemann at the top of the box to head it in and give the Ephs a quick advantage.
Just three minutes later, Ruehlemann struck again, this time curling a shot into the top right corner from the edge of the box to double the Ephs' lead.
In the 36th minute,
Luca Ruta added his first goal of the season, finishing off a clean delivery from
Kellan Grace to make it 3–0 heading into halftime.
Williams continued to control the match after the break, as Ruehlemann completed his hat trick, connecting with
Alex Bethencourt for his third goal of the afternoon and extending the Ephs' lead to 4–0.
Spencer Mix capped off the scoring in the 75th minute, finding the back of the net to push the advantage to 5–0. Keene State tallied a late goal in the final minute through Woodley Jean Baptiste, but it wasn't enough to threaten the Ephs' dominance.
Williams looks to keep their strong momentum into its next matchup against Connecticut College next Saturday at 3:00pm.
