PORTLAND, Ore. – Brandon Cambridge's hat trick propelled Portland to a 4-0 win over Santa Clara men's soccer in a West Coast Conference match on Saturday night at Merlo Field.
The game was evenly played in the opening 45 minutes with each team credited with three shots each with just one of those on target by Portland as they entered intermission scoreless.
However, the second half was a different story with the Pilots on their front foot for much of the time and outshot the Broncos (4-5-5, 1-2-3 WCC) by a 14-5 margin.
Cambridge struck early and quickly after intermission, finding the back of the net a minute apart in the 50th and 51st minute and added another in the 71st to add to his league leading goal total. With the win, the Pilots (11-2-3, 5-1 WCC) remains in second place in the WCC standings and trails league leader San Diego by a point.
The first goal was a well-placed shot to the far post on a low blast from on the right side just inside the 18 to get the scoring going.
Sixty-five seconds later, Cambridge struck from nearly the same spot when Jacob Babalai sent the ball over the Bronco defense to the foot of Cambridge and chipped it over goalkeeper Felix Schaefer who came off his line.
In the 71st minute, Cambridge converted on a penalty kick to complete the hat trick.
The Pilots added a fourth goal in the 86th minute by Buba Fofanah.
Oladayo Thomas had a team-high three shots for the Broncos.
NOTES
- Santa Clara is now 24-21-8 all-time against Portland.
NEXT UP
The Broncos close out the 2022 season at home on Saturday's Senior Night against Saint Mary's. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Connect with the Broncos on Social Media
Athletics: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube
Men's Soccer: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
