By: Vinnie Birk - Blackburn College Sports Information

Forty total shots. Forty. The Blackburn College Men's Soccer Team made it clear they do not mess around. The Beavers won their first conference game this year in smashing fashion with an 11-0 victory over the Red Devils of Eureka College.

Fourteen total players dispersed the forty shots and two Blackburn freshmen had hat tricks. Jake Pope scored three goals and also added three total assists, marking a career day for the young freshman from Waggoner, Ill. He now has seven goals on the year which puts him one behind the conference leader.

Another freshman, Lucas Rinderer (Highland, Ill.), also had a career day. He netted a hat trick of his own and also tallied an assist. His total now sits at four. Leandro Fonteles (Manaus, Brazil) also is in second place in goals in the SLIAC. His sixth goal put the Beavers on the board 14 minutes into the game while his seventh came in the 58th minute.

Reed Gwillim (Springfield, Ill.) and Daniel Ramirez (Chicago, Ill.) scored their first collegiate goals in the game and Gwillim also had two assists to tag along with it. Sophomore Nate Kinnison (Perryville, Mo.) also added a goal and an assist.

Every Blackburn player played in the game while Shane Rogers (Granite City, Ill.) and Brett Eddings (Raymond, Ill.) combined for a shutout needing only to make one save, a good one in the closing seconds that Eddings deflected out of bounds.

Blackburn is now 5-9 overall and 1-3 in SLIAC play. Iowa Wesleyan is on tap next for the Beavers who will play on the road this Saturday with kickoff at 3:00 PM.