Columbus rolled over the Coral Reef Barracudas 21-1 at Columbus Tuesday night, raising its record on the season to 2-1. This game had it all! The attackmen scored. The middies scored. The defense scored. In fact, Columbus led 18-0 at the half and never looked back.

Leading the way were Seniors Alex Gonzalez with 4 goals, 1 assist and Nick Quesada with 3 goals, 2 assists. This lethal combination, along with starting attackman Kyle Glaser, the Explorers’ veritable Tazmanian Devil who again displayed his seemingly effortless moves all over the field, were virtually unstoppable on the night. Equally impressive was the heady play of defender Alec Cancio, who recorded a hat trick and an assist. Yes, you read this correctly – a defender scored a hat trick! Cancio opened the scoring less than a minute into the game, snaring a ground ball and advancing untouched through the middle of the Barracuda defense like a hot knife through butter. Three minutes into the game, Columbus cruised to a 3-0 lead en route to a 9-0 margin at the end of the quarter. The onslaught continued in the second quarter, with Columbus recording another 9 goals. This quarter was paced primarily by the juniors, with goals from Chris Melendez (2), Ralph Roca (2), Fernando Cordal, and Mike Perry (2). Perry’s first goal was a thing of beauty. After winning the face off, Perry thundered down field untouched, scoring from top right. Perry would also combine with Senior Anthony Rosabal and Juniors Austin Volovar and Ralph Roca to win 13 out of 21 face offs. Coral Reef played valiantly but simply could not withstand the Explorers’ blistering shooting nor their defense. Late in the 3rd, as the clock was expiring, Coral Reef notched their lone goal, a bounce shot by Greg Mendoza that would ricochet off a Barracuda attackman’s shin, making the score 19-1. This would be the lone blemish on the night for the Explorers’ Senior Goalie Jon Nickas, who recorded 11 saves in three quarters of work. Contributing to the defensive effort was Sophomore LSM Jake Reis, whose defense and hustle were relentless. Coral Reef Goalie Christian Demuth recorded 7 saves. Columbus is back in action Thursday at Boca High while Coral Reef will square off against Ransom Everglades. Columbus 21 Coral Reef 1: COL -Alex Gonzalez 4 goals, 1 assist. Nick Quesada 3 goals, 2 assists. Alec Cancio 3 goals, 1 assist. Mike Perry 2 goals, 1 assist. Chris Melendez 2 goals. Ralph Roca 2 goals, 1 assist. Anthony Rosabal 1 goal. Brando Caveiro 1 goal, 2 assists. Bobby Garcia 1 goal. Fernando Cordal 1 goal. Danny Cicarelli 1 goal. Kyle Glaser 1 assist. Jon Nickas 11 SV. Henry Trent 2 SV. CR Mendoza 1 goal. Demuth 7 SV.