ELKINS – Rafa Moreno scored a hat trick to lead the Senators Men's Soccer team to a 6-0 victory over Ohio Dominican Saturday afternoon for Homecoming at Nuttall Field.
 
The Senators have reeled off six straight shutout victories in Great Midwest Athletic Conference play with Saturday's win, which started slow and needed 37 minutes before Moreno broke a scoreless tie.
 
Abel Ameyaw sent a ball into the box that was mishandled by goalkeeper Clayton Hildebrand. Moreno quickly fired a shot that bounced off the bottom side of the cross bar and back out, where he volleyed the rebound low and past a sprawling Hildebrand for the opening goal.
 
The Senators would carry just the one-goal lead into the halftime break, but Moreno would double the lead for the hosts 10 minutes in to the second half.
 
Fredrik Hedemark picked up a turnover near midfield and played a ball ahead to Pablo Salvador Lopez, who beat the offside trap and found himself in a 1-on-1 with Hildebrand. Moreno's first attempt was blocked by Hildebrand well outside of the 6-yard box, but the freshman recovered to control the rebound and turn and fire into the open net for his second of the game.
 
Salvador Lopez would get on the scoresheet next, as he scored his fourth of the year less than six minutes later. He played a ball to teammate Niklas Rasch-Hegelund, who played a one-touch pass back to Salvador Lopez, who then controlled the ball and fired a shot just inside the left post to put D&E up 3-0.
 
Six minutes later, Moreno would secure his hat trick with his seventh goal of the season. Moreno jumped on a ball that was misplayed by a Panthers defender after Ameyaw sent the ball into the 18-yard box down the left side. Moreno won the ball of the defender's feet and then beat Hildebrand, after the keeper was caught out of position well outside of the 6-yard box.
 
About 10 minutes later, Ameyaw found himself in another scoring play as his shot was pushed onto the post by backup keeper Robby Frye and Simon Hestad finished the rebound to put the Senators ahead by five.
 
Tim Staerz would cap off the scoring in the contest in the 79^th minute. Staerz jumped on a misplayed ball by the Panthers defense, which sent him in on the keeper, and the sophomore collected his seventh goal of the year by putting it into the side netting.
 
Hedi Mehnaoui made a pair of huge saves in the contest to help the Senators to the shutout. Mehnaoui stopped four shots overall in the game.
 
Everton Carvalho also saw time in goal, playing the final 31 minutes to help keep the shutout intact for Davis & Elkins.
 
The Senators will return to action on Thursday, in a pivotal top of the table battle in the G-MAC, as No. 18 Ohio Valley comes to Nuttall Field. The match is set for a 7:30 p.m. start.