JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — Sophomore forward Robert Hill (Middlesbrough, England) recorded a hat trick to lead the Carson-Newman men’s soccer team to a 3-1 win over Wingate on Saturday night in South Atlantic Conference action at McCown Field.

Hill, who tallied two goals in the first half and a goal late in the second half, now has a team-high nine markers on the season.

“He is capable of doing that,” C-N head coach Allen Vital said of Hill. “He got the chances, and they fell for him. They were not easy goals. He worked extremely hard to get those goals. He deserved them.”

With the win, the Eagles improve to 8-3-1 on the season and 5-1 in the SAC, while Wingate falls to 8-3 and 3-2 in conference play.

C-N junior Jordan Moore (Hendersonville, Tenn.) had a stellar night in goal as he allowed one goal and collected seven saves to earn the win. Wingate’s Joey Calandra (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) finished with three goals allowed and eight saves.

The Eagles outshot the Bulldogs 21-13 and held an 8-7 advantage in corner kicks.

Wingate’s Junior Nyemb (Douala, Cameroon) gave the Bulldogs the lead just 13 seconds into the match. Nyemb dribbled through the C-N defense and drilled a shot from 25 yards out to give Wingate a 1-nil advantage.

The Eagles answered with a pair of goals late in the half. Hill found the back of the net off a deflection in the 30th minute to tie the match at 1-1.

Hill then gave the Eagles the lead in the 40th minute. Senior forward Omar Cooke (Roanoke, Va.) fired a shot that was knocked down by Calandra, but Hill finished off the deflection to give C-N a 2-1 lead.

Hill completed the hat trick late in the second half to put the match away as he scored a goal in the 86th minute to give C-N a 3-1 cushion.

“Give credit to our guys,” Vital said. “We spotted them one early, but the guys dug in and got the win. I thought we played really well and created a lot of problems. That’s a really good Wingate team, but I thought we were a lot stronger up front.”

The Eagles return to the pitch on Wednesday at home against Northern Kentucky. The match is slated to start at 6 p.m. at McCown Field.