ARLINGTON - In their first home game of the season, the Arlington Varsity Boys Soccer team routed the Black River by a score of 5-2.

Senior co-captain Fred Pickering led the way for the Eagles with a hat-trick.

In a post game interview, Wilkins indicated that he was not surprised by Pickering's performance.

"That's what his job is is to score goals," said Wilkins. "He had all three against West Rutland, a hat trick tonight. That's what he's up there for. He knows that. That's what his assignment is. He's there to keep defenses honest. They've got to mark him and they can't try to cheat and pull us offsides because he's just too fast. He's been solid all year. I knew he was going to have a good year coming into it."

Wilkins

Arlington senior and co-captain John Esposito (in white) battles for the ball against Black River senior Nick Clufo during Tuesday's game. The Eagles won 5-2. (Gary Baker Photo)
continued to say he hoped that Pickering's play would continue as it was still very early in the season, but said that he has "the hunger to score goals."

The Eagles got the scoring started less than two minutes into the game when sophomore Konnor Andrews put one in the back of the net off the assist from senior co-captain John Esposito.

About midway through the first half, Black River had an opportunity to score off a cross from freshman Earle Brown to Taylor Gilmore, but Gilmore's shot sailed wide. Black River had another good opportunity not long after when junior Ben Veysey beat his man and had a one on one with Eagle goalie DJ Jennings. Veysey, fired, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

With about five minutes left to go

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in the half, Pickering got the ball after a missed shot, fired and buried it in the right corner of the net for his first goal of the day giving Arlington the 2-0 advantage.

About a minute later the Eagles scored again. Esposito got the ball on a break away off a pass up the path. Black River keeper Thomas Woodard came up in the box to challenge Esposito, but he fired before Woodard reached him and curved the ball into the left corner of the goal to make it 3-0 at the half.

About 12 minutes into the second half, Woodard saved a shot on goal off a header by Arlington. The Eagles quickly got the ball back and Pickering scored his goal of the day.

Brown put Black River on board about midway through the second half when he lofted a ball over the head of Jennings to cut the Arlington lead to two. The lead would not last long though. About three minutes later Arlington got the ball on a free kick just past midfield, which set up Pickering's hat-trick.

"He looked over to me just before he shot it because he wanted basically permission from me to shoot. He wanted to know what to do with that," Wilkins said. "There comes a certain range when you're just out of your range and from there it's clearly his range. So, I looked over and told him to shoot."

In the waning moments of the game, Black River freshman Ethan VanGuilder snuck a shot past Jennings in the left corner of the goal to make the score 5-2.

Woodard tallied nine saves on 14 attempts on the day and Jennings had four saves on six chances.

Arlington will face Brattleboro on Thursday in the opening game of the John James Tournament at Mount Anthony. The game begins at 5 p.m.