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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Men’s soccer dominates UDC

After a win and a loss in his team’s first two games of the season last week, GW men’s soccer head coach George Lidster said the Colonials needed to take advantage of more of their scoring chances.

Tuesday at the Mount Vernon Athletic Complex, GW did just that. The Colonials rolled over an outmatched University of D.C. team on their way to an easy 7-1 victory.

“We just needed to come out and score some goals,” senior Andy Stadler said. “We hadn’t been shut out in a year or so (before last week), so just scoring a lot of goals is definitely helping.”

Stadler led the way for the Colonials, netting a hat trick in the game. Stadler scored GW’s (2-1) second, fourth and sixth goals in the game, giving him four for the season and moving him into a tie for ninth place on GW’s career points list.

“It’s awesome,” he said of his three-goal afternoon, adding that he had “never done that before.”

Also providing strong contributions in the win were senior Erick Perez-Segnini and sophomore Yoni Berhanu, who combined for seven points. Perez-Segnini got the goal parade started in the 16th minute by putting in the rebound off a shot by Berhanu and earned the assist on Stadler’s first goal.

With the game seemingly in hand, head coach George Lidster began pulling his starters to get his younger players some time on the field. The move proved savvy. Freshman substitute Mattia Melillo tallied his first collegiate score in the game, when the first-year player knocked in a volley from Berhanu from 12 yards out. Fellow freshman Seth Rudolph would set up Berhanu for an additional goal and be very active in the box, registering six shots of his own.

Also seeing action were all three goalies on GW’s roster. Freshman Brendan Lafferty, who earned Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week honors after shutting out Howard Saturday, played the entire first half before being replaced by redshirt junior Scott Goossens, who is expected to start GW’s next contest. Redshirt sophomore Erik Haug replaced Goossens as the game wound down, though the Colonials’ 31-5 shot advantage over the Firebirds made sure none of the goalkeepers dealt with any real danger.

Next up for the Colonials will be a trip to No. 11/11 University of California (NSCAA/Soccer America) Friday in what should be a strong test of GW’s talent. It will be the first of two games for the Colonials this season against nationally ranked opponents, as they will travel to Virginia, another top-20 squad, later this month.

“We played well against Howard and today, but Cal is going to be a very good opponent,” Stadler said. “We need to keep attacking and scoring.”

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