PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Led by a dominant hat trick from Caleb Christner, the Salem University men's soccer team surged back from an early deficit to defeat Maine–Fort Kent, 4–3, on Sunday evening at Highmark Stadium.
Christner opened the scoring just 3:27 into the match, finishing a setup from CJ Branch. UMFK responded with two goals before halftime to take a 2–1 lead into the break.
The Tigers regrouped after the half, continuing to apply pressure in the attacking third. UMFK briefly extended its lead to 3–1, but Christner took over from there. The sophomore forward struck again in the 56th minute off another assist from Branch, then completed his hat trick in the 64th minute—bringing Salem level at 3–3.
With momentum fully in Salem's favor, the Tigers earned a penalty in the 80th minute, and Ahmad Hijaz calmly buried the spot kick to give Salem a 4–3 lead. The Tigers' defense held strong in the closing minutes, with goalkeeper Noah Plummer making three key second-half saves to secure the win.
Christner finished with three goals on four shots on target, while Branch added two assists. Salem out-shot UMFK 19–13 and matched the Bengals 5–5 in corner kicks.
On top of the championship, the follow Tigers were also honored in the USCAA All-Tournament Team:
Caleb Christner - All-Tournament and Most Valuable Player
CJ Branch - All-Tournament
Giancarlo Pardo - All-Tournament
Jason Barrientos - All-Tournament
Ahmad Hijaz - All-Tournament
The Salem University Athletic Department would like to congratulate all our student-athletes on the tremendous accomplishment. Additionally, special thanks goes out to Head Coach Greg Gilmore and his staff (Adam Zelmanowicz, Bryce Meche, Sam Defabbo, and Johnathan Atchison) for all their hard work this season.
