Box Score  
KEENE, Texas – McMurry University men's soccer braved stormy weather and sloppy conditions to snap its three-game skid, defeating Southwestern Adventist University, 7-1. The win improved the War Hawks to 2-3 on the year and gave the squad its first victory since opening day of the 2014 campaign.
 
McM got a big night from its seniors, specifically, Jacob Howdeschell (Missouri City, Texas ) and Cody Gentry (Boerne, Texas). Howdeschell, a fourth-year player who spent the early part of his McM career as a defensive player, tallied nearly as many points versus the Knights (6) as he did all of the 2013 season (when he had 7).
 
Howdeschell had a hand…or more accurately a foot…in every War Hawk goal in the first half, as the visitors amassed a 4-0 cushion by the intermission. His first tally came at the 5:21 juncture with a goal that was assisted by fellow senior Gentry. Less than 12 minutes later, the duo reversed roles, as Gentry netted a ball delivered to him by Howdeschell to put their team ahead, 2-0.
 
With 35:09 elapsed in the opening half, Howdeschell booked goal No. 2 on the night. Jordan Miller (Missouri City, Texas), a senior midfielder and former prep teammate of Howdeschell, received credit for the assist.
 
Freshman Julio Alfaro (Fort Worth, Texas) helped get the War Hawks' younger players onto the statistics sheet, blasting in his first collegiate goal – with an assist from Howdeschell – with 36:16 gone by in the first half. That made it 4-0, with that score standing until intermission.
 
To open the second stanza, SAU finally got on the scoreboard in the 47th minute, just two minutes into the segment.
 
But after that, the War Hawks again stepped on the accelerator, behind Gentry. Gentry notched back-to-back goals for McM in the 51st and 60th minutes – assisted by Alfaro and Matt Hernandez (San Angelo, Texas), respectively – to put McMurry on top, 6-1.

For Gentry, his "hat trick" was the second three-goal match of his McM career. He also tied the school record for goals in a match (the eighth time an McM player has tallied a trio of goals). His seven total points was the fifth time that has been achieved for McM, as well.
 
McM lit up the scoreboard one last time in the 86th minute, thanks to an unassisted goal by Cody Baker (Eula, Texas), his first as a War Hawk.
 
McMurry goalkeeper Ian McCarthy had four saves in the 90 minutes of work, permitting just the one second-half goal to the Knights.  Southwestern Adventist posted 10 total saves, as McM peppered the host nets.
 
In all, McMurry out-shot SAU by a 23-6 margin.
 
McMurry will next play at NCAA II Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark., on Saturday at 11 a.m.