Pederson, Slater Each Record Hat Trick in 9-0 Win at Tompkins-Cortland

The Herkimer Generals No. 3 ranked men's soccer team delivered a dominant 9-0 victory against Tompkins Cortland Community College with first career hat tricks from sophomore Dylan Pederson and freshman Rowan Slater

The Generals wasted no time getting on the board, with Slater opening the scoring in the 4th minute, assisted by Matty Casson. Pederson doubled the lead in the 8th minute, converting a pass from Kyle Macfarlane. Slater then added his second goal of the game in the 28th minute with a penalty kick, giving Herkimer a comfortable 3-0 lead heading into halftime.

The Generals continued their scoring in the second half, starting with Pederson scoring his second goal in the 48th minute, once again assisted by Macfarlane. Slater completed his hat-trick in the 71st minute with an assist from Beau Pomeroy, while Casson made it 6-0 just a minute later, with Rood Apolon providing the assist. Pederson added another goal in the 73rd minute, converting his penalty kick for a hat-trick as well. Jack Gray extended the lead to 8-0 in the 74th minute, assisted by David Zepeda Jr., before Manasseh Turenne capped off the scoring in the 88th minute with an assist from Yu Adachi, sealing the 9-0 win.

Herkimer's defense was just as impressive as its offense, holding Tompkins Cortland to only three shots on goal. Goalkeeper Andrew Moulton made two saves during his 75 minutes of play, while Maximilian Axt finished the match with one save in the final 15 minutes to preserve the shutout.

Overall, Herkimer dominated possession, registering 54 shots with 27 on target. Despite facing constant pressure, Tompkins Cortland's defense managed to hold off several attacks but could not stop the Generals' relentless offense. The Tompkins Cortland goalkeeper made 12 saves, but it wasn't enough to prevent Herkimer's convincing victory.

The game saw a few yellow cards issued, including one to Thomas Sanabria of Herkimer and two to Tompkins Cortland players. Herkimer also earned 11 corner kicks compared to Tompkins Cortland's one, further emphasizing the Generals' control of the match.

The No. 3 ranked Generals hope to continue their strong start to the season at Wehrum Stadium against Fulton-Montgomery CC on Saturday at 11:00 AM.