Sparkill, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Men's Soccer team earned a dominant 4-1 win over Saint Anselm College on Wednesday afternoon at Spartan Field.

Three of the four Spartan goals scored came in the second half, as Yahir Hernandez found the back of the net twice, with Anthony Bolivar Sanchez and Jorge Umana also tallying goals. Umana (2) and Christian Ferlisi (2) also recorded helpers in the match.

STAC got the game's first goal in the 23rd minute, as Jorge Umana took a feed up the middle of the field and danced around several defenders before making a quick pass to teammate Anthony Bolivar Sanchez, who fired a shot past Hawks keeper Brian Underhill to take a 1-0 lead.

A late penalty kick opportunity by Bolivar Sanchez would be stopped by Underhill, but the lone first half goal stood through the final 22 minutes of the stanza, as the hosts would take the slim one-goal advantage to halftime.

After the break, the Spartans immediately struck for its second goal on the afternoon, with Christian Ferlisi traveling up the far sideline and slipping a pass to a wide open Yahir Hernandez in front of the net, who deposited a strike to the back of the onion bag in 48th minute to make it 2-0.

Yahir Hernandez struck again in the 61st minute, when a Jorge Umana shot ticked off of the fingers of keeper Brian Underhill. As the ball was rolling toward the open goal, Hernandez made sure to get a foot on the ball and fired it in to give St. Thomas Aquinas a commanding 3-0 advantage.

Saint Anselm would finally break the shutout in the 64th minute, when a series of passes by both Caden Leader and Zach Elliot in side of the box would finally find the cleat of Michael Fortin, who beat STAC keeper Tabor McDaniels to cut the deficit to 3-1.

The final goal of the match came a minute later, as Christian Ferlisi would once again make his way down the far sideline and direct a pass onto the foot of Jorge Umana, who blasted a shot to the top left corner of the net from just outside the penalty box, to put STAC ahead by three again, at 4-1.

Despite several quality opportunities by Saint Anselm, the Spartan defense corps stood tall, blocking multiple shots to preserve the lead and take victory. 

Inside the Box Score

• Jorge Umana picked up his team-leading ninth goal on the season in the match.
• Yahir Hernandez tallied his second and third goals of the year on Wednesday.
• Tabor McDaniels (W, 1-1-1) got the start between the sticks for STAC and made five saves on six shots faced.
• Saint Anselm outshot St. Thomas Aquinas by a 19-13 margin, with the Spartans holding a 5-4 advantage over the Hawks on corners.

Up Next

St. Thomas Aquinas College (4-2-3, 0-2-1 ECC) continues its three-game homestand, taking on Daemen University, on Saturday, October 1 at Spartan Field. Kickoff between the Spartans and Wildcats is set for 2:00 p.m in Sparkill, N.Y.