BENNINGTON, Vt. – Captain forward Nick Haggerty accomplished his second hat-trick of the season to lift the Southern Vermont College Mountaineers to a 4-0 New England Collegiate Conference victory Saturday over the Newbury College Nighthawks. It was a crucial Conference win for SVC as they are seeking to return to the NECC Playoffs in November.

The Mountaineers (6-10, 2-4 NECC) struck first when Haggerty was fouled and took advantage of a free kick to make it 1-0 with 19:27 on the clock. His second goal came when the ball got passed the Newbury (3-11, 2-3) keeper and senior captain Dave Gage fed Haggerty for an easy score.

Striking next was junior Ben Naaktgeboren when he dribbled it from midfield and kicked it past the hands of a diving Nighthawk keeper to make it 3-0 with only 30 minutes left in regulation. Three minutes later (63:28) Haggerty achieved his second hat-trick of the season when he cleaned up a loose ball in the keeper box to make it 4-0. He now has 16 goals this year (34 points total).

Senior captain and goalie for the Mountaineers, Aaron Eschler, got the shutout victory, his third of the year, and had two saves in the process. Gage and Eschler presented flowers to their mothers and were celebrated for their achievements prior to the game. This is not the first "senior day" they have been through together as they grew up together in Gloversville, N.Y., both attended Broadalbin-Perth High School and were teammates on the soccer team.

Junior keeper William McNally got the loss for the Nighthawks as he allowed four goals and nabbed three saves.

The Mountaineers close out the regular season when it heads to Wheelock College for an NECC contest Friday, October 29th.