Prior to Tuesday’s men’s soccer game between Florida Atlantic University and Florida Gulf Coast University, only two players in FGCU history have ever scored a hat trick.

The second occurred on Sept. 17, just three days before the team’s matchup against FAU, when freshman Albert Ruiz scored three goals against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Redshirt sophomore Arion Sobers-Assue added a third hat trick to FGCU’s (5-2-1) history books in the Eagles 5-1 victory over FAU (1-4-1) on Tuesday night.

Sobers-Assue — who missed the entire 2015 season after undergoing knee surgery — scored the first two goals of the match within a three-minute window, spanning from the 31st minute of play to the 34th. He completed the hat trick in the 61st minute, becoming the third player to reach that benchmark in FGCU history.

Ruiz, the second player to accomplish that feat for FGCU, added to the Eagles scoring total with a goal just before the end of first half.

FAU continued its offensive struggles this season with Tuesday’s lone goal coming shortly after the halftime break when freshman Elijah McDonald capitalized off a scramble following a free kick. The goal marked FAU’s third in six games.

Although the ball wasn’t totally dominated by FGCU, in terms of possession time, the Eagles shot the ball over five times as much the Owls, 22-4.

The Owls, who have either tied or lost in their last three matches, will look to turn things around on Sunday, Sept. 25, when they take on Marshall University in West Virginia at 12 p.m.  

Christopher Libreros is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet him at @ChrisIsAirborne.