NAMPA — Alex Mangeac spread his arms and soared about the field in celebration — again and again and again.
Mangeac's hat trick proved just one highlight on the day for the Northwest Nazarene soccer teams, which each picked up lopsided wins in the NNU Labor Day Classic.
“It's good just to help the team out,” Mangeac said after the men beat The Academy of the Arts 4-1, wrapping up an NNU sweep started by the Crusader ladies beating the University of Mary 5-1. “Getting the win, that's the main thing; team played well, and if the team plays well it doesn't matter who scores goals.”
That team attitude led to Mangeac's first goal, as the Crusaders (2-2) pushed the attack and got chances from Nate Hamm, Ben Mangeac and Alonso Avila, but came away empty in the opening 30 minutes.
Still pressing forward, NNU earned a free kick to the left of the Urban Knights box with 8:43 to go before the break.
Alex Mangeac took the kick and bent the ball around the defensive wall and inside the near post for the 1-0 lead.
“It was a good start, it was a well deserved goal,” said Mangeac, who also had the last hat trick for the NNU men back on Sept. 4, 2008, in a 5-0 win over Cascade. “... In the flow of play we deserved that goal, we were possessing the ball, we had chances, so it was a good start to the game.”
The Crusaders built on that lead early in the second half as Sal Sanchez sent a pass upfield to Mangeac who split the Urban Knights defense, chipped the ball over goalie Ian Sutherland and had a wide open goal to boot the ball into just 3:14 into the second half.
Less than nine minutes later Mangeac completed the hat trick as Ben Mangeac dribbled through the defense, spinning in front of Sutherland, and found his brother open for another easy score.
“We talked a lot going into this game about how dangerous we can be if we play together as a unit, as opposed to a group of individuals,” NNU coach Coe Michaelson said, “so as we really got our passing going and our combinations going, Alex happened to be the one getting on the end of things.”
About the only blemish on the day came in the final 8 minutes when NNU gave up a foul in its own box, leading to a penalty kick for the California school that Brazer Bozlak converted, spoiling the shutout.
It was no problem for the Crusaders, who responded by pushing forward again as Renatto Brito earned a PK and netted it with 1:26 left, icing the win.
