FORT WAYNE, Ind. – On Wednesday evening the University of Saint Francis Cougars (2-0-1) played host to the Calumet College of Saint Joseph Crimson Wave (0-1) at Bishop D'Arcy Stadium and won 5-0 behind three late goals by junior midfielder Daniel Eleuterio. 

As the game got going, the Cougars came out strong on offense. They strung together several scoring opportunities in the opening minutes, but the Crimson Wave stepped up on defense to keep the game scoreless.

Then in the 30^th minute, the Cougars' persistence paid off.

A corner kick by junior midfielder Mateo Abella found the right place as sophomore defender Dominic Borucki headed it in for the first goal of the game to give the Cougars the lead.

With the Crimson Wave now starting to gain some momentum with offense, the Cougars had to step up themselves and freshman goalkeeper Joe Deitering and the Cougar defenders kept the ball out of the net.

As the first half started to wind down, the Cougars were looking for some insurance, and they got it. In the 43^rd minute, freshman midfielder Dalton Blankenbaker got the ball about 20 yards out and hammered in his first goal of the game and the season as Saint Francis doubled the lead at 2-0 and it stayed that way through halftime.

Heading into the second half, the Cougars and Crimson Wave battled each other back and forth with neither team able to find the net. A couple golden opportunities at the net fell short for Saint Francis as the score stayed a two-goal game.

A free kick by the Crimson Wave with five minutes remaining was stopped by a brilliant save by Deitering. Then in the 88^th minute, the Cougars put the game away as junior midfielder Daniel Eleuterio got the ball from sophomore midfielder Simon Hemler and knocked it past the Crimson Wave's goalkeeper to make it 3-0.

Just 30 seconds later, Eleuterio added his second goal of the game as his two late goals solidified the victory for Saint Francis in their home opener. But he wasn't done there, he ran the ball down the field and scored his third goal of the game while making USF program history.

Eleuterio's feat was the first time in program history that three goals were scored in under two minutes all by the same player. 

"I think Daniel always gives a good effort," Head Coach Jake Essig said of his midfielder, "He puts his head down in a positive way, and really deserved to score at least one if not two, but he then got the third and it's a very exciting time for him and the team."

The Cougars resume play on Saturday afternoon when they travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to face the Carlow University Celtics beginning at 2:00 pm.

Cougar fans, stay updated with all events and recaps with USF athletics by visiting Saintfranciscougars.com or by downloading the Saint Francis Cougars app.