Cipollone Hat Trick Propels RiverHawks Under the Lights
TAHLEQUAH, Okla. --- Cory Cipollone scored three times and Northeastern State rolled to a 5-2 non-conference soccer victory Tuesday over Texas-Permian Basin.
It was the first-ever home match played under lights for the RiverHawks. New lighting was recently installed at RiverHawks Pitch.
Cipollone scored twice in the first 29 minutes to pace Northeastern State to a 2-0 lead, but Tyler Gibson put UTPB on the board in the 40th minute for a 2-1 score at halftime.
However, the night belonged to the RiverHawks after that.
Josue Garcia had a shot deflected by Panther's keeper, Chris Benavides, early in the second period, but Garcia collected the rebound and got an easy put-back for a 4-2 Northeastern State edge. Gibson added a nifty open-net goal after beating Matt Murrell in the box in the 66th minute to keep UTPB close. But, Cipollone recorded the "hat trick" in the 71st minute when Zach Schmoker passed the ball through the defense and Cipollone knocked it in from 15-yards out.
Schmoker added an insurance goal for Northeastern State (7-8 overall) in the 76th minute for the final score.
For the game Cipollone scored three times and Schmoker had one goal and two assists. The RiverHawks out-shot the Panthers 22-to-11, and played the final 50 minutes a man ahead after the Panthers (2-13) lost a player to a red card at the 40:53 mark.
Northeastern State will resume Lone Star Conference action at Midwestern State on Friday before returning to Tahlequah to close out the year with a pair of home matches --- Oct. 31 against Truman and Nov. 5 versus Incarnate Word.
