GREENSBORO, N.C - Jake Carter (Madison, N.C.) struck twice within a 30-second span, releasing an avalanche of scoring from the Guilford College men's soccer team as they pulled away late at Appenzeller Field, defeating Regent University, 5-0 on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Quakers were successful in today's match up, returning to a breaking-even record at 3-3-0 on the season. The Royals dropped to 4-2-0.
 
Ildis Vital-Peraza (Vienna, Va.) got the nod in goal for Guilford, with an impressive showcase commanding the defense towards a clean sheet with no shots on target, improving to 1-1-0 in net. Conner Henriques made the start in net for Regent, falling to 1-3-0 for Regent, making three saves among the 19 shot attempts by the hosts. John Morrison closed the game out, securing one save among four shot attempts by GC.
 
Carter's multi-goal showing is the first by a Quaker thus far this season, while Angel Aragon (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Jesse Guzman (Winston-Salem, N.C.), and Alex Harrison (Greensboro, N.C.) all supplemented him as additional goalscorers in the match, with Guzman, Chris Hercules (Greensboro, N.C.), Gabe Douglass (Raleigh, N.C.), and Ken Vasquez (Pittsboro, N.C.) distributing assists on the attacking end.
 
The Quakers started off all-gas, no-breaks with domination of possession and a quick build-up in the final third. A build-up which saw many great passes amongst the midfield, led to Hercules dribbling down the wing, dishing a through ball, with the inside of his boot, to teammate Aragon, who made a great run into the 18'. The junior cut back and lost his balance while trying to create space between himself and the defender. Showcasing great agility, Aragon recovered and slotted a trivela shot into the bottom left of the goal, securing his second goal of the season and the first for Guilford on the day.
 
In the 26th minute, the midfield showcased their chemistry with a pair of tiki-taka passes. Hercules and Vasquez continued to play keep away from the opponent until Hercules found teammate Adrian Pineda (Graham, N.C.) making a run near the far post. Hercules drove in and pinged a pinpoint pass to Pineda, who took a shot but missed the frame. 
 
After a hot start, things began to cool down for the Quakers as both sides shared possession and a pair of attempted build-up plays that evidently led to no points being added to the board and the first half concluding.
 
Minutes into the second half, the Quakers received a corner off of a Regent defensive play. Riley Copeland (West End, N.C.) received the pass off the corner. Copeland proceeded to cut in and make a run on the edge of the 18', before spotting Saeed Saavedra (Mount Airy, N.C.) on the far post. Copeland hit a lobbed pass towards Saavedra, but barely grazed his head, leading to a Regent goal kick.
 
After a quiet exchange of possession, Guilford's back four, who notched a clean sheet, exchanged a pair of passes amongst each other before dishing a quick pass to Vasquez who turned and found Wheeler splitting the Royals' center backs, creating a beautiful run. Vasquez executed the pass, leading to a one-on-one opportunity for Carter who calmly finished, claiming GC's second goal of the day.
 
Precisely half a minute later, the Quakers caught the opposition off guard as Guzman forced a turnover near the midfield line, he found Carter, who made a similar run as the previous play. The sophomore then took care of the rest, securing the pass on the left wing and slotting past the keeper on another iso play, securing his brace, and boosting the lead to 3-0.
 
The goal fiesta did not stop there, as the home team struck again in the 85th minute. A free kick, granted right outside the edge of the box, was executed perfectly as Vasquez found Douglass making a run inside the box, near the front post. Douglass, off the first touch, attempted at the goal, but hit the crossbar. Off the crossbar, came flying in Harrison using his head, secured GC's fourth goal of the game with the first of his collegiate career.
 
In the 88th minute, the Quakers put the finishing touches on their masterpiece, as Guzman took it upon himself to dribble from the midfield to just right outside the 18' and attempted a screamer of a goal. Morrison got a finger tip on the ball, but it was not enough to stop Guzman's rocket as the ball passed the goaline, sealing the shutout finish for the Quakers.
 
Guilford heads to Hampden-Sydney College to wrap up the non-conference portion of their season, on September 21. Kickoff is slated for 7 P.M.
 
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