Justin Buberl had the game of his life, and it came at a good time for both himself and the rest of the men’s soccer team. 

Coming into Tuesday’s non-conference match against Pitt-Greensburg, Buberl had only scored once in 2019, and Waynesburg [3-6] had lost four straight games, that last two coming by a combined 8-0 score. 

Buberl scored three goals and assisted on another to lead the Yellow Jackets to a much needed 4-1 win to close out non-conference play.

“You never think you are going to score three goals [in a game]” Buberl said, “and when you do it’s pretty cool.”

The match started fast, and was exciting throughout.

It didn’t take long for the Jackets to get rolling. Head coach Brad Heethuis said the energy of his starters helped Waynesburg get out to a fast start.

“Our starting 11 really came out with a lot of energy and put them under pressure and created a lot of opportunities for us,” Heethuis said.

The first goal came at the 17 minute mark with a cross from Nate Kummer to Buberl. Buberl took care of the rest with a settling touch, then a shot off the bounce, before kicking it past the keeper.

Buberl followed this  three minutes later with his second goal. This one was a shot from way outside. With the keeper out of position and unable to retreat fast enough to the goal, the ball bounced into the net. 

 

Pitt Greensburg, already down two goals, struggled to get the ball out of its half of the field. Waynesburg continued to apply pressure with runs from the Jacket forwards for the remainder of the half. Waynesburg held the 2-0 lead at halftime.

Only seven minutes into the second half the Jackets scored again. This time, it was Daniel Hott who scored with Buberl getting the assist. Just two minutes later, Buberl’s kicked the ball in the back of the net, once again, to finish off his first career hat trick. 

Waynesburg continued to control the possession in the second half, rarely giving the Bobcats an opportunity for shots. Until a penalty kick for Pitt-Greensburg in the 67th minute. This was one of the rare opportunities Pitt-Greensburg had to score and Nick Bono delivered to break the shutout 

The Jackets are excited about their first conference game scheduled for 3:30 p.m. this Saturday. The men will travel to Pittsburgh to play  Chatham. Buberl believes the team will be able to carry momentum from Tuesday night into the weekend and the start of Presidents’ Athletic Conference play.

“We have the momentum going into Chatham and the confidence now, we’re ready to work off of it.” he said.