SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – Current Western Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week Noah Keats (Exter, Eng./The King's School) scored a first half hat trick to lead the Cardinals to an 8-1 rout of Central Arkansas on Friday at Benson Stadium.

The Cardinals (4-2) took control of the game from the start. They kept possession very well and created many near-goal opportunities. In the 30th minute, a Callum Wright (Swindon, Eng./Royal Wootton Bassett Academy) shot was deflected by the keeper and Keats was there to recover the loose ball and score the first goal of the game. Then in the 41st minute, the offense came up with a brilliant combination of Dylan Kelly (Tucson, AZ/Salpointe Catholic HS) to O'Neal Moore (Houston/Alief Taylor HS), who found Keats in the box for the second goal. Two minutes later, Kelly crossed a ball into the box and Keats had the presence in mind to patiently wait for the ball to be in the right spot, and found the back of the net to end the first half 3-0 in favor of UIW.

The second half started with a few close shots for the Cardinals. Ben Conway (Wigan, Eng./Hawkley Hall) hit the post and Moore just barely missed his first goal of the season.  Conway would redeem himself in the 52nd minute when he dribbled past a number of UCA defenders and shot a rocket into the left upper ninety for the fourth goal of the game. Then in the 65th minute, Kelly passed a low cross in the box that deflected off a Bear defender and the ball went in for an own goal.

Luis Esquivel (Houston/Kempner HS) then scored one of the best goals of the season. He received the ball just inside the box and bent it perfectly into the upper right corner for his first goal as a Cardinal.

"It is definitely the best goal I've ever scored," Esquivel said, "Especially because it was for UIW.  It was a great cross down the line and when I saw the goalie I thought I had a chance so I took a shot."

The Bears kept fighting and found a way to avoid the shutout.  Alejandro Moquete scored to make it 6-1 in the 75th minute off a nice little pass from Wes Carson.

The Cardinals weren't done just yet, though.  Matt Stohlmann (Omaha, NE/Steele HS) and Alonso Gallegos (El Paso/Liberty HS) each collected their first goals of the season in the 77th and 83rd minute, respectively to close out the scoring.

This was the Cardinals most goals scored as a Division I team, and it was also Keats' first collegiate hat trick, which gives him seven goals after only six games this season.  It was the first hat-trick by a UIW player in the first half since Lubomir Bogdanov on September 10, 2004 against West Texas A&M.  The eight goals were the most by the Cardinals since October 15, 2004 when they defeated Missouri Southern, 8-0.

"It's something that you can't explain," senior captain Jonathan Camarena (El Paso/Del Valle HS) answered about having Keats on the pitch and healthy.  "He's always at the right spot at the right time, and being the great player he is, he knows what to do in those moments.  We're lucky to have him."

The Cardinals outshot the Bears, 26-8 and collected nine corners as opposed to only one for UCA.

UIW's next two games will be exhibition games against UIW Mexico and an Alumni game, Sept. 25 and 27, respectively. After that, they will host CSU Bakersfield on September 30 for the beginning of Western Athletic Conference play.
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