WENHAM, Mass.—Not even 50 MPH winds could slow down midfielder Caleb Cole (Coatesville, Pa.) and the Gordon Men's Soccer offense. The Fighting Scots rallied from an early one-goal deficit thanks to three goals from their leading scorer—Cole's second consecutive hat-trick in Commonwealth Coast Conference play—as the Fighting Scots handed Eastern Nazarene a 3-1 loss on a stormy Wednesday night at the Brigham Athletic Complex.
 
From the opening tip, a smart observer would know the Nor'easter-like winds would play a heavy role in the flow of the game. Less than two and a half minutes into the first half, Eastern Nazarene (5-10-1, 1-5-1 CCC) earned a corner to set up their first scoring chance. 
 
Jacob Mason (Southport, England) curled a ball into the wind wall and sent it right toward Josh Spoonhour (Greencastle, Pa.) in the center of the net. Spoonhour looked to have an initial grasp, but the high winds and rain caused him to temporarily lose possession. The ball spilled right to the foot of senior Scott Hansen (Middletown Spring, Vt.), who finished for his sixth score of the year to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
 
Gordon (13-3, 6-1 CCC) was able to take control of the match soon after that as they adjusted to playing through balls instead of going over the top of the Lions defense. With the wind at their backs, several breaks were foiled by the high-speed winds as the ball went just beyond their lunges. Cole was finally able to answer the early call by the Lions, in the 18^th minute. The sophomore received a quick pass from classmate Aaron Terjanian (West Chester, Pa.) just outside the 18-yard box. Cole's first touch beat the defender and he tucked a shot inside the left post for the equalizer.
 
The two teams went to halftime tied at one goal a side and each had eight shots in the first half.
 
Cole gave the Fighting Scots the lead early in the second half in the 57^th minute off a cross by senior Evan Crocker (Akron, Ohio). Crocker got the tip outside and carried the ball along the sideline unmarked before sending an untouched pass across the middle to the feet of Cole. The sophomore faked out his mark and perfectly placed the ball past the outstretched arms of David Eddings (Endicott, N.Y.) for the score.
 
Gordon put the game out of reach just two minutes later when Cole found the twine for the third time on the evening. Kristian Kasiguran (Oakwood Village, Ohio) started a nearly identical play as the one before it, carrying the ball down the right sideline before finding Cole wide open in the middle. Again, Cole tucked inside the right post for the simple goal to complete back-to-back hat-tricks.
 
The Fighting Scots outshot the Lions 13-10 on the day and 8-5 on net. Spoonhour made four saves for his 11^th win on the year, while Eddings suffered his first loss with four saves. Eddings filled in for injured starter Jake Johnson (Mount Bethel, Pa.) who suffered an injury against Roger Williams on Saturday.
 
Gordon goes back on the road for another conference test at Salve Regina on Saturday at 3 p.m.