ONEONTA, N.Y. – The Wilkes University men's soccer team started its three-game road swing Wednesday night against the Hartwick College Hawks in decisive fashion.
 
The Colonels (6-3-2) cruised to a 4-0 victory against the Hawks (2-8).  The Colonels have now either won or tied seven of their last eight games after defeating the Hawks in their first meeting in recent memory.
 
The Colonels outshot the Hawks early as junior defender Shane Henehan (Bensalem, PA/Mast Community Charter School) punched home the first goal in the 27^th minute thanks to a rebound off the post.  The teams exchanged a few more shots before the 38^th minute, where senior forward Cole Hefner (East Greenville, PA/Southern Lehigh) took advantage of a goalkeeper error to give the Colonels a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
 
Hefner did not wait long into the second half of the night to earn his second goal, with freshman forward Anthony Lazzareschi (Cranston, RI/Bishop Hendricken) assisting him in the 52^nd minute to put the Colonels up three.  The Hawks would have a few opportunities for goals in the second, but freshman goalkeeper Nick Kinzler (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) saved three shots on goal to keep the shut out going.
 
Sophomore forward Gabriel Nieves (Yorktown Heights, NY/Lakeland Senior) would find another opportunity in the last minute of the game. He maneuvered around a defender at the top of the box and kicked a shot into the back of the net in the 90^th minute to settle the final score at 4-0.  He was assisted by both freshman forward Christopher Garcia (Teaneck, NJ/Bergen Charter) and junior Nicholas Gaydos (Bloomsburg, PA/Central Columbia) in the last-moment goal.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Russell Rauh (Poughkeepsie, NY/Arlington Senior) earned the victory after five saves in the first half of play, while Kinzler played all 45 minutes of the second frame with three saves.  Nieves led all Colonels with three shots, while senior midfielder Kyle Bentz (Camp Hill, PA/Camp Hill) had two shots on goal, the most for the squad. 
 
Six Colonels had at least two shots on the evening, and they had 16 shots as a team.
 
The Colonels play the second game of their three-game road trip Saturday at 6:00 p.m., as they travel to Hoboken, N.J. to face Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom newcomer Stevens.  The teams have met twice since 2012, and Stevens has come away with both victories.