Box Score LA VERNE — Tod Kawada did something that's probably never happened before.
The freshman forward scored three goals in less than a minute, assisted on the game-deciding goal and then added an insurance goal late, his fourth of the match, leading the Occidental men's soccer team to a 5-3 win at La Verne on Monday.
You hear about hat tricks in soccer occaisonally, but maybe never in just 1 minute.
From the Coach: "I'm not sure I've ever heard of one player scoring three goals in that amount of time, but I have now" Oxy men's soccer coach Rod Lafaurie said. "Kawada was was all over the field for us tonight, as were all of our forwards."
Hat Trick in a Hurry: After a sluggish start to the game on both sides, Kawada opened the scoring at the 13:01 mark to put Oxy on the board and before fans had a chance to sit back down, Oxy drove toward the La Verne goal again and Kawada tucked away his second goal of the night at the 13:40 mark. Then just 20 seconds later, Kawada found another pocket of space to poke in his third score.
Only 59 seconds ticked off the clock before Kawada single-handidly had the Tigers up 3-0.
La Verne Comeback: La Verne's Mario Interiano found the net, cutting Oxy's lead to 3-1 before halftime.
In the second half, the Tigers let the Leopards all the way back into the game. Nathan Gonzalez scored a pair of goals to even the score at 3-3 in the 61st minute.
Turning Point: That's when Kawada had maybe his prettiest play of the night, perfectly directing a pass off of his chest to Michael Tonetti, who drove home Oxy's fourth goal with less than 16 minutes remaining on the clock.
Kawada's fourth goal sealed the victory in the 87th minute.
Season Impact: The win helps the Tigers bounce back from a 3-0 loss to Redlands on Saturday and gets Oxy closer to .500 in SCIAC play. Oxy now sits at 2-3 and 5-3 overall.
Next Game: The Tigers host Chapman on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Jack Kemp Stadium.
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