CENTRAL, SC – Francis Marion University senior Sam Pollard recorded the first hat trick for a Patriot in five seasons to lead FMU to an 8-0 road victory over Southern Wesleyan University, Saturday night (Sept. 18) in Conference Carolinas men's soccer play.
 
FMU improves to 2-3-1 overall and remains unbeaten in conference play at 2-0-0.  The Patriots play a non-league match at Anderson University on Wednesday at 7 p.m., before returning home to face Converse University on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
 
Pollard's 3-goal performance was the 27th in program history and the first for an FMU player since Levin Sandmann scored three times against Clayton State University on Oct. 7, 2016.  It also gives Pollard four scores in his last two matches, after scoring once against Coker University on Wednesday.
 
The Perth, Australia native tallied unassisted goals in the eighth, 56th, and 61st minutes.
 
Following Pollard's initial score, junior forward Javier Bello used an assist from senior midfielder Oliver Peters to double the margin to 2-0 at the 28:06 mark.  The score remained 2-0 through halftime.
 
The Patriots broke the contest open by scoring five times in a span of 12:27 early in the second stanza.  Sophomore Kimo Lemke scored his first goal as a Patriot in the 50th minute, followed by Bello again in the 52nd minute, two of the Pollard scores, and senior forward Nil Gulbranson's tally in the 63rd minute off an assist from freshman Nick Huenig.
 
Junior defender Sebastian Garcia accounted for the final goal at 72:40 with an assist from senior midfielder Jafet Santiago.
 
Francis Marion outshot the Warriors 33-6 and earned the only two corner kicks of the match.  Pollard, Bello, Lemke, and Huenig produced four shots apiece.
 
Junior keeper Felipe de Moraes made his first start in goal for the Patriots this season and earned the shutout by making a pair of saves.
 
Bryson Dodd and Will Hughes split time in goal for SWU and registered six and four saves respectively.
 
The eight-goal outburst was the highest total for FMU in 22 seasons dating back to an 8-0 win over Coker during the 2000 campaign.
 
 
Francis Marion Univ. (2-3-1, 2-0-0) def. Southern Wesleyan (0-4-0, 0-2-0) 8-0
Date: 09/18/21      Attendance: 101
Weather:  Threatening
 
Goals by period           1  2  Tot
Francis Marion Univ.    2  6 -  8
Southern Wesleyan...  0  0 -  0
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
1-0   7:41 FMU Sam Pollard (2) (unassisted)
2-0.  28:06 FMU Javier Bello (1) (Oliver Peters)
3-0.  49:48 FMU Kimo Lemke (1) (unassisted)
4-0.  51:33 FMU Javier Bello (2) (unassisted)
5-0.  55:44 FMU Sam Pollard (3) (unassisted)
6-0.  60:53 FMU Sam Pollard (4) (unassisted)
7-0.  62:15 FMU Nils Gulbranson (1) (Nick Huenig)
8-0.  72:40 FMU Sebastian Garcia (1) (Jafet Santiago)
 
Shots: Francis Marion 33, Southern Wesleyan 6 ; Saves: Francis Marion 2 (Felipe de Moraes 2), Southern Wesleyan 10 (Will Hughes 4; Bryson Dodd 6)