NORTHFIELD, Minn. – Sophomore Jack Soares scored a hat trick to lead the St. Olaf College men's soccer team to a 4-1 season-opening victory over Pacific Lutheran University on Friday afternoon at Rolf Mellby Field.

In a matchup of team teams that have both qualified for the NCAA Division III Men's Soccer Championship in each of the last four seasons, Soares netted his first collegiate hat trick to propel St. Olaf (1-0-0) past Pacific Lutheran (0-1-0). The sophomore opened the scoring in the 11th minute before scoring twice in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to complete the hat trick.

Soares' hat trick surpassed his goal total from his rookie season that saw him score twice. The three-goal performance was the first by an Ole since Shea Bechtel '25 recorded a hat trick in an 8-1 victory at the College of St. Scholastica on Sept. 28, 2024.

Junior Ryan Bechtel added a goal and two assists, while senior Robi Buzakovic tallied two assists in the win in the first meeting between the two programs since 2012. St. Olaf received votes in this week's preseason United Soccer Coaches national poll.

Just over 10 minutes in, Soares got the scoring started by turning in a cross from Bechtel on the right in from close range after Buzakovic slid the ball wide to Bechtel. The Lutes struck back just over five minutes later, however, when Connor O'Brien headed a cross from Yuta Shimazu inside the far post to level the game at a goal apiece.

Bechtel gave the Oles a 2-1 lead at the half by tapping in a deflected cross from senior Dimitri Nair in the 34th minute. The goal was the 10th of Bechtel's career.

Less than two minutes into the second half, Soares scored a near carbon copy of his opening goal to stretch St. Olaf's lead to 3-1. The sophomore capped off his hat trick with a left-footed shot after junior Abdirasak Bulale's deflected shot came to him in the box.

The Oles outshot the Lutes by a 16-9 margin overall and an 11-4 margin in shots on goal and had all 13 of the game's corner kicks.

St. Olaf will complete its opening weekend with an 11 a.m. kickoff against the University of Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 31 at Rolf Mellby Field.