BALDWIN CITY Kan. - Grace's men's soccer team picked up a 4-2 victory over No. 5 Oklahoma Wesleyan on Monday afternoon.
The Lancers' (4-0-2) were fueled by
Martim Sequeira, who notched his first career hat trick in the upset win.
Despite facing four opponents currently in the NAIA poll, Grace remains without a loss on the season.
The game nearly started with a goal, as Grace exploded into an offensive attack. The Lancers aggressively moved the ball forward and
Joao Sousa attempted a shot that was fought off by the diving Eagle keeper just 20 seconds into the game.
After the near goal Grace continued to control possession, but OKWU responded well and settled into their defensive set.
The Eagles struck first in the contest when a loose ball in the box was misdirected and ended up in the back of the net putting OKWU ahead 15 minutes into the match.
The Lancers continued to pressure and were rewarded for their persistence when Sequeira was awarded his fourth penalty kick of the season.Â
The ensuing kick ricocheted off the post and right back to Sequeira, but his second shot was saved by the sprawling keeper.
Sequeira did not have to wait long to find the game leveling goal, as he buried his fifth goal of the season 10 minutes later.
Sequeira made an aggressive pursuit of the ball deep into OKWU end and forced a miscue by the Eagles' defense which allowed the senior forward to net Grace's first goal.
The lead was short lived however, as OKWU struck back 66 seconds later to reclaim a 2-1 lead that they would take into the half break.
Early in the second, OKWU was awarded a corner kick that Grace countered expertly.
The corner try was quickly cleared out of the box and to
Scanferlato Simone who found
David Marquez in stride. Marquez sprinted half the length of the field and chipped the ball past the Eagles' keeper to tie the game at 2.
Just two minutes later, Grace struck again to take their first lead of the game. Following an OKWU turnover
Felipe Gruber assisted Sequeira on his second goal of the afternoon.
The Lancers continued their offensive onslaught with their third goal in five minutes.
Sequeira's hat trick mark came courtesy of
Daniel Santos Rosa who threaded a pass through the Eagles' defenders allowing Sequeira to tap in the goal that put Grace ahead 4-2.
The shell-shocked Eagles tried to muster a response, but were unable to attempt a shot across the next 20 minutes, and eventually fell to Grace 4-2.
Grace was out shot 16-11 by OKWU, but both teams directed seven attempts on goal.
Matteo Conci made five saves in his fourth win of the season.Â
The three goal showcase from Sequeira was his third multi-goal performance of the season, as the senior forward now leads the NAIA with seven goals on the season.
Grace will next be in action on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Lancers will host (RV) UNOH at 1st Source Bank Field.