Photo by Jake McNeill Luis Ulloa celebrates following the first of his four goals in Marshall's 4-1 win over the Waseca Bluejays in their home-opener on August 27, 2022.

MARSHALL – A hat trick is often considered the holy grail of scoring performances in soccer, but Luis Ulloa did one better when he scored four goals in Marshall boys soccer’s 4-1 win over Waseca Saturday morning at Mattke Field.

Following their loss in their season opener Thursday, head coach Tony Correa said his goal for this game was to get a good shot off every time down the field. They did that and then some, often firing off multiple good looks in a possession from the start. The Tigers looked hungry and motivated, and they looked as if they could score nearly every time they got within 30 yards of the goal.

The Tigers took their first lead of the game just over 20 minutes in. After being granted a corner kick, Marshall whiffed on the header attempt, allowing the goalie to knock the ball away from the box. Unfortunately for the Bluejays, the ball went right to Ulloa, who recovered the rebound and sent it through a crowd of bodies into the top shelf of the goal.

Waseca tied up the game at 1-1 with about five minutes remaining in the first half, prompting a goalie switch in the second half.

“The goalkeepers are fighting for their starting position. The one we thought was going to take the starting job has looked a little bit nervous, I don’t know what it is. He needs to come out stronger and own the game,” Correa said. “We’re going to try the substitute keeper next game and hopefully he keeps his momentum. I don’t really care who plays, they’re both the same to me.”

Marshall began to run away with the game, figuratively and literally, in the second half. The Tigers looked strong in the first, but they looked unstoppable in the second. The main difference was that they made sure to keep the other team moving and tiring them out, Correa said. By keeping possession and making the field big, the Bluejays didn’t have the energy to keep up, and the goals came raining down.

Ulloa scored the go-ahead goal on a hard-hit shot, centered in front of the goal from about 15 yards out, just slightly too high for the goalie to get up and grab. Another 20 minutes later, Ulloa completed his hat trick with a two-on-one breakaway goal to put the game nearly out of reach.

Things started getting chippy as the game got out of hand. Players on both teams got physical throughout, particularly late in the second half, culminating with a player on each side getting a yellow card, with Waseca drawing one with around 20 minutes left and Marshall drawing one in the final five minutes.

With just under five minutes remaining, Ulloa scored his fourth goal of the game when a long goal kick went past midfield. Ulloa raced past the Waseca defenders and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper before lofting it over his head into the back of the net.

Marshall (1-1) will next play Tuesday, when they return to the Southwest Minnesota State field to host Loyola Catholic.