HAMILTON – There is no doubt that Colgate men's soccer sophomore Ethan Kutler knows how to score a goal, as he posted three of them in Sunday's 3-1 victory over Siena.
 
The win pulled the Raiders to .500 on the season after they also added a 3-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday for a weekend sweep.
 
The Saints took the early lead three minutes into the game following a header from Alexander Tejera.
 
The Raiders, however, had plenty of time to rebound and that's exactly what they did, scoring three unanswered goals.
 
Kutler's natural hat trick took just 17 minutes and 16 seconds beginning in the 65th minute.
 
Goal No. 1 started after rookie Jared Stroud sent Kutler the ball at the top of the box. The Lansing, New York, native took a few touches before slotting the ball just out of the reach of Siena's keeper for the equalzier.
 
Then Kutler netted the eventual game-winner 11 minutes later, converting on a Siena defensive miscue. The Saints' goalie, Josh Weiss, collected the ball inside the box. He played a simple ball out to his nearest defender, where Kutler saw an opening to pressure. The sophomore stripped the Saints player of the ball and fired it into the lower left corner of the net for the 2-1 edge.
 
Kutler added an insurance marker in the 82nd minute when he and fellow classmate Zach Tamen utilized a wallpass. Kutler started the play by dribbling toward the box from the left side of the field. He then found Tamen, who was waiting inside the box. Without hesitation, Tamen saw Kutler continuing his run and one-touched it back to him. Kutler was able to finish it off from 10-yards out to the top left section of the goal.
 
Kutler's three goals in the game earned him five on the weekend after notching two in Friday's game. His season total shifts to nine, making him one shy of breaking into Colgate's records book for season goals. Kutler is also 10 goals short of breaking into the Raiders' all-time records for career goals.
 
Colgate now rides a two-game winning streak into Saturday's conference opener at Lafayette. The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start on Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium.
 
Bottom Line
Colgate 3, Siena 1

Won-Lost Records
• Colgate improves to 3-3-1 overall
• Siena falls to 5-3-0 overall
 
Key Raider Info
• Kutler recorded a natural hat trick in the game, shifting his weekend total to five.
• Both Stroud and Tamen were awarded assists on Kutler's first and third goal, respectively.
• Ricky Brown earned the win between the pipes for Colgate taking his season record to 3-3-1.

Facts & Figures
• The Raiders held the massive edge on shots at 19-7, including 15 in the second half alone.
• Colgate also earned four corner kicks to the Saints two.
• Siena was given one yellow card, while two Colgate players were issued one.
• Kutler led all players with five shots, four of which were on frame.
• Zach Pagani added four shots, including one that ricocheted off the post two minutes after Siena took the early lead.
• The Saints' lone goal came just 3:08 into the match after Tejera netted one past Brown.
 
The Difference
• The second half was again key for the Raiders as they posted three unanswered goals during the final 45 minutes of play.
• The game-winner came from the foot of Kutler, who stole the ball from a Saints defender at the top of the box and made him pay.
            - The goal came at the 76:00 mark.
 
Inside Look
• Siena struck first as they tallied the go-ahead goal just 3:08 into the contest.
            - Nick Theobald sent a cross into the box, where Tejera found it with his head for the 1-0 Saints lead.
• Colgate had some chances to equalize in the final minutes of the first half, including a shot from Pagani that ricocheted off the post, but it wasn't until the 65:02 mark that the Raiders finally broke through.
            - Stroud played the ball into the center of the field, where Kutler collected it at the top of the box. He took a few touches before striking a shot into the lower left corner of the goal to tie the game.  
• Again it was Kutler who found the back of the net a little more than 10 minutes later when he took the ball from a Siena defender inside the box.
            - After stripping the defender he slyly placed the ball into the corner of the net, making it the eventual game-winner.
• Kutler added his third and final goal six minutes after that when he teamed up with Tamen for the Raiders insurance marker.
            - Kutler played Tamen the ball inside the box, where the Washington, D.C., native one-touched it back to him 10-yards out from net. Kutler then smashed it home lifting the Raiders 3-1 over the Saints.

The Last Time…
• The last time Colgate was believed to have had a single player record a hat trick in a game was on Nov. 8, 2003 vs. Army.
• Jon Cook '05 notched four games in that game on eight shots.
• He also posted two assists in the contest as the Raiders defeated the Black Knights, 8-1.
 
Records Watch
• Kutler now has nine goals on the season for 18 points.
• He is one goal and four points shy of breaking in Colgate's records book for season totals.
 
CU Inaria Classic
• Although Cornell and Colgate won both games over the weekend, the Raiders had a better goal differential making them the tournament champions.
• All-Tournament Team
    Offensive MVP:  Ethan Kutler
    Defensive MVP:  Zach Tamen
        Colgate - Ethan Kutler, Zach Tamen, Tanner Schilling, and Tyler Forbes
        Cornell - Conor Goepel, Zach Zagorski, and Chris St. Germain
        FDU - Deshawn Forbes and Matthew Weigner
        Siena - Matt O'Brien and Nils Weddig.

Two-Game Winning Streak
• The Raiders are riding a two-game winning streak heading into conference play next weekend at Lafayette.
• Colgate also defeated Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, 3-1.
 
Points Leader
• Kutler leads the Raiders with 18 points from nine goals.
• Rookie Stroud follows next with three points all from assists.
• Tyler Forbes and Pagani both have two points, while senior captain Tanner Schilling and Tamen have one on the year.
 
Straight From The Source
• Head Coach Erik Ronning: (On his team's performance Sunday) "We didn't really change our tactics in the second half at all minus to just play with more urgency and attack the ball quicker out of the back. The other thing we wanted to do was step up our defensive line of pressure and put their midfield under a little more strain.
 
A couple little tweaks at halftime and we reassured them that there was a goal coming. I didn't think there would be three, because Siena is a very good team, but we ended up making a couple more plays than they did."
 
(On his team's sweep of the weekend) "The week leading up to theses games that's how the week was won. It didn't happen today, it didn't happen Friday; it happened Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the commitment they put forth. That's what I'm really pleased with.
 
• Sophomore Ethan Kutler: (On bouncing back in the second half after not recording a shot in the first 45 minutes) "The wind helped a lot. We definitely had a lot more possession in the second half and were able to get numbers forward. That really contributed to it."
 
(On how the game-winning goal happened) "I kind of read the goalie. It was really obvious he was going to play one of his center backs. So I just got right up on him, stole the ball, and hit it as hard as I could (he said laughing).

Up Next
• The Raiders are back on the pitch Saturday at Lafayette for their first Patriot League conference game of the year.
• Lafayette has a midweek game on Tuesday at Albany before welcoming Colgate.
• The Leopards are currently 2-3-2 on the season and the Raiders hold the all-time series at 16-12-4.
• The game is set for Mike Bourger '44 Field at Oaks Stadium.
• Live stats and video available at the start of the game.
 
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