SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjacket men's soccer team appears to be finding its stride. And that discovery is coming at precisely the right time.
 
After a rocky start to the 2021 campaign, the Yellowjackets are rolling. Over the last three matches, they've outscored opponents 23-0 on the way to three straight wins.
 
The latest victory in the streak came on a humid, rainy Saturday afternoon at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex. The Yellowjackets dominated every facet of the match from the opening kick to the final buzzer on the way to a 7-0 win over the University of Minnesota Morris.

With the win, the Yellowjackets have now evened their overall record at 5-5-0, and they are 5-1-0 in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, where they sit in second place.
 
The Yellowjackets deployed a balanced attack Saturday, with five different players notching goals. Leading the way was Protus Babaya (Elk River, Minn./Elk River), who tallied a hat trick in just 39 minutes of play.
 
Babaya opened the scoring in 14th minute. Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) started the play off a corner kick, and Babaya finished it, getting a piece of the ball and scoring on the header to put the Yellowjackets in front.
 
Later in the half the Yellowjackets extended the lead when Nicolai Stokker (Klokkarstua, Norway/St. Hallvard) got the ball in tight on the right side of the box and put a left footer into the lower left corner to make it 2-0. Mackie Ringrose (Ewhurst, England/St Peter's Catholic School) and William Maanstrom assisted on the goal that came in the 39th minute.

The Yellowjackets added one more before the end of the first half. Stokker made a play to the box from the right side and Phillip Eriksen (Skjetten, Norway/Lorenskog) directed a pass home with a header from about 10 yards out, and it was 3-0 Yellowjackets at the half.

Early in the second half the 'Jackets extended the lead. Blake Perry (Anoka, Minn./Anoka), who a day earlier set a new program record for goals scored in a career, picked up his sixth of the year to make it 4-0. Dylan Hanegraaf (Rose Creek, Minn./Austin) centered a pass from the left side, and Perry buried it with the left foot from near the top of the box.
 
Babaya then completed the hat trick in quick-strike fashion. For the second time in the match Babaya converted off of a corner kick, getting carom in the box and putting a shot into the lower right corner to make the lead 5-0. He added another goal to complete the hat trick just seconds later to increase the lead to 6-0.
 
The Yellowjackets closed out the scoring in the 82nd minute when Brandon Conklin (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) converted on a free kick, scoring high into the middle of the goal for his second of the year, making the final score 7-0.
 
For the match, the Yellowjackets outshot Morris 26-4, including a margin of 13-1 in shots on goal. Alex Paredes (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) made the start in goal and played 26:52 before leaving with an injury. Payton Anderson (Red Wing, Minn./Red Wing) came on and stopped the only Morris shot on goal.
 
After playing eight of their first ten matches at home, the Yellowjackets will now hit the road for five straight, beginning with a non-conference match at St. Olaf Tuesday, Oct. 5. The opening kick in Northfield, Minn. is set for 4 p.m.