Box Score Robert Malone struck for the first three goals of his career during the first half to lead Colorado College to a 3-1 victory over Wartburg College in its final non-conference match of the year on Sunday afternoon at Stewart Field.

Malone became the first Tiger freshman to record a hat trick since Oct. 18, 2009, when Matt Fechter dropped four on Oglethorpe University during a 6-1 victory.

"The first one was quite exciting, especially running over to the team on the bench," Malone said. "It was an amazing feeling, but I was focused on winning the game after that."

Malone put the Tigers on the board in the seventh minute when he jumped on a Wartburg clearing attempt and put a shot into the lower left corner from just outside the top of the penalty area.

His second tally in the 32nd minute was the result of a pair of perfect touches from senior defender Trevor Houghton and freshman defender Cam Stopforth.

Houghton sent a cross from 30 yards out on the right side to the left side of the box, where Stopforth used a header to direct the ball back toward the left post. Stopforth controlled the pass and scored on a low shot from six yards away.

"The possibility of a hat trick ran through my mind after the second one," Malone said. "I've never had one at a level this high."

The hat trick became a reality a little more than 11 minutes later when he took a through ball from Stopforth on the left side and scored with a shot inside the left post.

"Robert does not play like a freshman," head coach Scott Palguta said. "He's got a great soccer brain. He took advantage of the spaces that Max (Grossenbacher) created for him, and that shows how heady he is. He has great instincts." 

The Tigers also got a dominating performance form the rest of the team, especially in the first half when Wartburg managed just one shot.

"We're proud of our team performance," Palguta said. "Every guy who played made a difference. "Wartburg is a good team. I think they'll be around at the end of the season. They're well coached and they are a very competitive group of guys."

The Knights, who found another gear in the second half when they launched seven of their eight shots, got on the board in the 80th minute when freshman forward Ayo Adebayo poked in the ball as it ricocheted off multiple players in front of the CC goal.

Colorado College finished with a 17-8 advantage in total shots, while Wartburg took two of the game's three corner kicks.

Sophomore goalkeeper Theo Hooker stopped three shots for the Tigers, who improved to 2-1-2 on the year.

Junior Donald Ticknor made a pair of saves during the first half for the Knights. Senior Austin Boyke played the final 45 minutes in goal. 

"We've been waiting for a fast start," Palguta said. "We've done it the hard way four times, struggling in the first half and then having to crank it up to stay in a game and give ourselves a chance at the end. "

Colorado College returns to action on Friday when the Tigers play host to Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Schreiner University under the lights at Washburn Field.

"It's a big weekend coming up, but the biggest game is the next game," Palguta said. "All we care about right now is recovering, resting, and preparing for Friday night's game against Schreiner."