Men's Soccer: Hat Trick Hero Ricciuti Fires Marauders Past Gryphons 4-2

McMaster notched their first victory against Guelph since 2012.

Box Score A battle of two traditional rivals, Sunday's encounter at Ron Joyce Stadium started quickly and never truly slowed, as the Marauders and Gryphons brought their full talents to bear in an absorbing match.

Six goals came and went, as McMaster (4-2-0) accelerated past the defending OUA champions in the second half, en route to a 4-2 victory.

Veteran winger Sasha Ricciuti had a hat trick in the win, including both of McMaster's two goals in the second half which ultimately proved to be the winning margin, while Anand Sergeant added a marker of his own.

The Marauders opened the game with a bang, as Sergeant beat the Guelph back line and the keeper to send the home crowd into an early roar in the very first minute of play.

Johnson Amoo pegged the hosts back in the 36th minute to level the match, before Ricciuti struck for his first of the afternoon, latching onto an oncoming cross and heading home in the 41st.

Continuing the seesaw trend, Josh Seguin responded for the visitors just two minutes later, on Guelph's first build-up after the restart, to level the score yet again as the team's entered the break.

Tight play reigned for much of the second half, with neither team threatening for long stretches and the game looking destined for split points. But Ricciuti had other ideas, and a burst of speed saw him dash through the Guelph back line and fire past keeper Erik Hermanns to give his team a 3-2 lead in the 87th minute.

With the visitors desperate for an equalizer, Ricciuti put them emphatically to the sword in injury time, nicking a lazy pass, skipping past the onrushing Hermanns and slotting home to put the game beyond Guelph's reach.

NEXT UP: The Marauders head out for an extended road trip, beginning with a September 16 meeting with the Brock Badgers in St. Catharines.

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