Garden City, N.Y. - A hat trick from Paolo Marciano was the difference for the No. 1 Adelphi University men's soccer team Saturday afternoon in a 4-1 win over Saint Michael's College in a Northeast-10 Conference showdown at Motamed Field in Garden City.

The hat trick increased Marciano's conference-leading goal total to 10. He is now two goals shy from matching his season output from last year.

Marciano's first two goals came only 5:08 apart to stake the Panthers (8-0-1, 4-0-1 NE10) to a 2-0 lead. He first collected a long pass from Tommy Speed and went around two defenders, before bending a shot into the left side of the net for the game's opening tally in the 14th minute. 

It wouldn't take long for Marciano to score his second of the match. Less than six minutes later, he punched in a loose ball in front to make it a two-goal game.

Adelphi eventually took a comfortable 3-0 advantage into halftime, as George Yusuff tallied his first goal as a Panther in the 32nd minute.

In the latter half, it took just 6:57 for Marciano to get his hat trick. This time, Taylor Kaczynski found Marciano on a flick into the box, earning him his second assist of the day.

Marciano finished the day with three goals and an assist. He also put each of his five shots on target.

Freshman goalie Daniel De La Heras made the start in goal for AU and stopped four shots. His counterpart, Leland Gazo, made four saves for Saint Michael's (3-3-1, 0-2-1 NE10).

Head Coach Gary Book and the Panthers are back in action Wednesday (Oct. 9), when they open up a three-game road trip in Worcester, Mass. at NE10 rival Assumption College at 4 p.m.