ABILENE, Texas – The McMurry University men's soccer team picked up a signature win on Thursday night, opening American Southwest Conference play with a decisive 4-1 victory over No. 25 Belhaven (Miss.) at Wilford Moore Stadium in Abilene.

Never taking more than four shots in his career, senior striker Miguel Esteban Jr. only needed three Thursday night to make the difference as he recorded his first career hat trick in the win.

Esteban Jr. had scores for McMurry (4-3, 1-0) in the seventh, 42nd and 64th minutes to put away any doubt, handing Belhaven (6-1, 0-1) its first loss of the 2019 season.

Belhaven scored 22 seconds after Esteban Jr.'s third goal to make it a 3-1 game, as the Blazers frantically attempted their comeback bid in the final half.

The clincher came in the final three minutes, as former goalkeeper and newly-converted striker Angel Arredondo scored his first career goal on his first career shot. The score was one of the highlights of the night, sending the Abilene crowd home into one final craze.

Belhaven outshot McMurry 9-5, but the War Hawks made the most of their opportunities with four on target for an .800 shot on goal percentage. The possession battle was nearly even at a 51/49 percent advantage for McMurry.

Freshman goalkeeper Mark Pelaez played all 90 minutes in net, recording a pair of saves while coming up with multiple stops on set pieces and cross situations. Additionally, Pelaez made a key pass from the goal mouth that led to Arredondo's goal, earning an assist.

Joining Pelaez with assists on the night were seniors Javi Mejia and Jose Mireles, as well as sophomore Jorge Garcia and freshman Luis Lopez.

The War Hawks look to keep their momentum rolling in ASC play on Saturday as they play host to Louisiana College. Kickoff from Wilford Moore Stadium is set for 3:30 p.m.