Junior forward Dante Callahan scored a five goal hat trick as Elizabethton defeated Hampton 12-1 in the Bulldogs inaugural boys soccer match.

Hampton’s new program under head coach Andy O’Neill is taking it’s first steps and the coach was pleased with his team’s effort saying, “It’s pretty awesome to get this first game under our belts. The first 45 minutes was nerves and you have to remember for some of these boys it is their first time kicking a soccer ball.”

Callahan scored in the fifth minute to give EHS a 1-nil lead and in the 6^thminute senior Daniel Bolognese scored his first goal of the season with an assist from freshman Teagan Bernshausen to make it 2-nil.

The Cyclones (1-0 overall, 1-0 conference) got goals from sophomore forward Daniel Raposo Sanchez, Callahan and senior Josh Smith as EHS took a 5-nil lead into the half. Sanchez goal came in the 15^th minute with Callahan scoring at the 21 minute mark and Smith tally came in the 36^th minute.

Callahan struck again to open the second half with his shot rebounding off a Hampton backline player. Bernshausen scored in the 45^th minute with a nice over the top pass from Smith. Senior Teve Mushayamunda got into the act with a goal in the 46^th minute and in the 49^th minute Callahan got his fourth goal of the match.

All this added up to a 9-0 lead for EHS and more was to come as freshman Nolan McKinney put one past Hampton goalkeeper Logan Sparke for a 10-goal Cyclone advantage. Callahan got his fifth at the 68 minute mark and Bernshausen got his second goal in the 72^nd minute.

The Bulldogs averted a shutout when Dakota Sanchez struck a bullet from 25 yards out past Cyclones backup GK Ben Brown.

“It’s Hampton’s first year and I don’t know how many of their players have played at this level,” EHS head coach Bill McClay said. “You don’t want to give up a goal but it’s hard to argue with a shot from 25 yards away. It’s hard for the starters to not be out there, because there are still things to work on. We have to work on some patterns of play, and who to send it in to. Challenge them to move the ball around and not be silly with it. Get some overlaps, side-to-side and crosses. There’s work to do.”

EHS 12-1

Hampton 0 1 – 1

EHS 5 7 – 12

First Half

E – Callahan (unassisted) 5:00

E – Bolognese (assist Bernshausen) 6:00

E – Sanchez (unassisted) 15:00

E – Callahan (assist Bolognese) 21:00

E – Smith (unassisted) 36:00

Second Half

E – Callahan (unassisted) 41:00

E – Bernshausen (assist Smith) 45:00

E – Mushayamunda (assist Bernshausen ) 46:00

E – Callahan (assist Bolognese) 49:00

E – McKinney (assist Mushayamunda) 53:00

E – Callahan (unassisted) 68:00

E – Bernshausen (unassisted) 72:00

H – Sanchez (unassisted) 73:00