BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Sophomore midfielder Robert Lloyd (Lexington, Mass.) tallied all three goals for his first collegiate hat trick to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team over host Bridgewater State University this evening at Swenson Field in Bridgewater, Mass. The Lyons, who are ranked third in Region II and received votes in the most recent United Soccer Coaches National Poll, improve to 9-3 on the season, while the Bears fall to 4-8.

Wheaton dominated possession during the match, owning a 32-6 shot advantage and was awarded all 18 corner kicks in the match. 

Lloyd becomes the first Lyon to net three or more goals in a game since Amara Sesay (2014-17) scored three times vs. Emerson College on October 21, 2017.

Lloyd opened the scoring in the 22nd minute as he converted off a corner kick. Sophomore forward Luke Strange (Portland, Ore.) sent the corner attempt to the top of the six and Lloyd launched a diving header inside the left post to put Wheaton on the board with a 1-0 edge. 

Lloyd's next two scores came in the second half in a span of 36 seconds for the Lyons. First year midfielder Ethan Fain (East Greenwich, Conn.), put the ball in play on a throw-in to senior midfielder Troy Mattos (Somerset, Mass.) sent a long volley into the box that evaded the leaping BSU goalkeeper. Lloyd knocked the ball into the wide open net with a sliding shot to make it a 2-0 game just a tick after the 56-minute mark. The Lyons showed good ball movement again to put Lloyd in position for his third marker of the night and fourth of the season.  Just 36 seconds later, Lloyd redirected a crossing pass from senior defender Billy Conte (Washington, D.C.) with Strange picking up the secondary assist at 56:37 for a 3-0 margin by the nearby visitors. The assists for Conte and Fain were the first respective collegiate points for each of them.

First year forwards Brett Ghelfi (Halifax, Mass.) and Ethan Lafontant (Chelmsford, Mass.) paced the Bridgewater State offense with two shots apiece. 

Junior goalie Cameron Millington (Fairfield, Conn.) turned away the only shot he faced to record his second career shutout for Wheaton, while sophomore keeper Lukas Ekmanis (Baxter, Tenn.) registered a career-high 14 saves for the Bears.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, October 16 when they host No. 13 Massachusetts Institute of Technology in a New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference contest at 2:00 p.m. on Keefe Field, while Bridgewater State travels to Westfield, Mass. to take on Westfield State University on the same day at 11:00 a.m.