Elshafi and Richter lead the way in win over Cape Fear

RALEIGH, NC – Wake Tech Men's Soccer improved to 2-2 (2-1 conf.) on Saturday, defeating Cape Fear 6-0. The Eagles were led by Ali Elshafi and Kayden Richter, who each picked up two goals. Goalkeeper Gabriel Catalano picked up his second shutout of the year.

Elshafi scored the night's first goal, finding the bottom-left corner with a curled shot on a free kick right outside the box in the 33rd minute. The foul leading to the goal resulted in a red card for the Cape Fear defender, who denied a goal-scoring opportunity on Elshafi. 

It didn't take long for the Eagles to double their lead. In the 35^th minute, Pablo Vargas scored on a cross from Daniel Metcalf. 

Before the red card, the match was fairly even with both teams creating chances but neither able to find the back of the net. The man-advantage helped the Eagles focus on their attack. By the end of the first half, Wake Tech registered 15 shots, five of which were on goal. 

Richter made it a three-goal lead, picking up his team-leading fifth goal of the season in the 50th minute. Elshafi scored his second goal of the game in the 59th minute, looping one in from distance while the Cape Fear keeper was way off his line. 

In the 64th minute, Richter picked up his second goal of the night and sixth of the season to make it 5-0. 

Carter Bennett joined in on the scoring in the 68th minute, burying a cross from Mike Torres for the Eagles' sixth and final goal. 

Saturday's win marks the first victory for the Eagles over Cape Fear since 2021. Through three conference games, Wake Tech sits in third place in the standings, with more conference matches played than any other team to this point. The Eagles will be back in action on September 24 when they travel to South Prince George, VA to take on Richard Bland. This weekend, they'll travel to Knoxville, TN, hometown of head coach Brandon Kind, to take on Region 7 opponent Pellissippi State.