NORTON, Mass. –- Junior forward Declan Rhatigan (Holderness, N.H.) netted a pair of goals as one of eight different goal-scorers to lead the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's soccer team in a 9-1 rout of visiting University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) this afternoon at Keefe Field on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 2-0-1 and are unbeaten in their first three matches to begin the season for the first time since 2014 when they did not drop a game through their initial 10 contests. The Blue Jays dip to 1-1-0.

Wheaton matched the school record for goals in a game set against Lasell University on September 30, 2000 to mark just the second time in school annals that the Lyons have netted nine markers in a game. The margin of victory was the largest for the Blue and White since an 8-0 triumph over Curry College on September 4, 2010.

Wheaton held a healthy 35-10 shot advantage, including 19-4 on frame and 14-2 in the opening half of play. The Lyons were awarded eight corner kicks, while Saint Joseph received one.

Rhatigan records his second multi-goal effort of the season for Wheaton and now has five goals through the first three games to become the first player with that many scores in three matches since Amara Sesay also scored five times in the first three contests during the 2017 campaign.

Senior midfielders Aidan Doyle (Kingston, Mass.) and Baden McLaughlin (Yarmouth, Maine) each registered three points in the game with a goal and an assist for the Lyons, while sophomore forward Gael Vera (Westminster, Mass.) notched a pair of assists. 

Wheaton senior keeper Michael O'Gara (Ardmore, Pa.) stopped two of three shots in the opening 72:43 of play, before yielding to junior Nick Phinney (Gorham, Maine), who turned back the only shot he faced in the final 17:17 of action. 

Sophomore midfielder Elis Sulollari (Cheshire, Conn.) scored the lone goal for Saint Joseph. Sophomore starting goalie Will Slayton (Manchester, Conn.) turned away four of six shots in the first half, before senior Andres Diosa (Cheshire, Conn.) stopped six of 13 tries in the second stanza.

The Lyons' first tally came in the 10th minute of play when junior forward Avery Dinham (Coral Springs, Fla.) served a cross from the left side into the left slot, where Rhatigan re-directed the ball into the back of the net with a header.  Wheaton's only other goal of the half was scored in the 15th minute of action. Doyle lifted a cross from the right sideline into the box, where junior defender Owen Kane (Pembroke, Mass.) connected for his first marker of the year and a 2-0 lead. 

The Lyons wasted little time adding to their lead, scoring just 2:58 into the second half for a 3-0 margin. Vera carried the ball down the right side, before sending a centering cross to Rhatigan, who fired a shot into an open right side. 

The Blue Jays cut the deficit to 3-1 when they got on the board in the 52nd minute in the second half. Senior forward Emmanuel Ofori (East Hartford, Conn.) sent a lead pass to Sulollari, who collected the ball and had the presence of mind to draw the Wheaton keeper out, before lifting a shot into the upper right corner for his first goal of the season.

Wheaton answered almost immediately, scoring just 23 seconds later when senior Joey Everett (Danbury, Conn.) converted a penalty kick into the left side of the net to restore the Lyons' three-goal advantage at 4-1. From there, the flood gates opened for the home team, scoring five more goals to close out the contest. 

Doyle scored on a feed from Vera less than four minutes later and McGann tallied his first collegiate goal in the 69th minute on an assist from McLaughlin. Just 2:23 later, McLaughlin also recorded a successful penalty kick to give Wheaton a 7-1 advantage with 19:18 to play in the game. Junior midfielder Thomas Corridon (Westport, Conn.) netted the Lyons' eighth marker just 2:19 after that, before first year forward Tanner Rock (Clifton Park, N.Y.) capped the scoring with his second marker of the season on a feed from sophomore midfielder Noe Aguilar (Lawrence, Mass.) with just 51 ticks left in the game.

Wheaton returns to the pitch on Wednesday, September 10 when it heads to Springfield, Mass. to take on Western New England University at 4:00 p.m., while Saint Joseph travels to nearby Hartford, Conn. to play Trinity College on September 9 at 7:00 p.m.