The Piedmont men’s soccer team scored early and often and continued to pour it on in an 8-2 rout over Huntingdon on a beautiful fall Saturday afternoon in Demorest.
It was an early avalanche of goals from the Lions, as they struck early and often to take complete control in the early going.
Senior Ricardo Ruiz put Piedmont on the board as he headed in a cross from freshman Davis Knight, beating the Huntingdon goalkeeper to the top left corner.
Moments later, the Lions struck again, with Colin Vogel finishing off a feed from fellow Suwanee, Georgia native James Cash.
The onslaught continued in the sixth minute, as this time Knight was on the finishing end, making it 3-0 Lions less than 10 minutes into the contest.
The Lions were not finished in the first half, adding three more goals before the break. Vogel found his second of the half and sixth of the season in the 17th minute before Brady Puckett added his fourth, converting a penalty kick chance with a powerful blast to the top left of the net.
Newcomer Philip Nowak also found the back of the net, converting his first career goal off an assist from fellow newcomer Nico Eberhart.
Although the Hawks were able to crack the scoreboard with a pair of goals over the final 45 minutes, the outcome was never in doubt, with Piedmont adding two more goals of its own.
Knight scored his second of the game and his team-leading ninth of the season while the scoring festivities were concluded, as freshman Nathan Jacome headed in the team’s eighth and final goal off a corner kick from Cristi Pascaru.
Up next, the Lions will return to action and honor their seniors this Monday, October 9, at 6 p.m. against Toccoa Falls.
TURNING POINT:
– The Lions blitzed the Hawks out of the gate, scoring three times in the first 10 minutes and six times in the first half to run away with the victory.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
– Top goal scorers on the season, Knight and Vogel, each added to their tallies with two apiece on Saturday.
– Puckett now has a career-best four goals in his senior campaign and has scored three times over the last two home games.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
– The Lions held a 27-8 shot advantage for the contest, including a 13-2 edge in shots on target.
