Cole Richards’ hat trick and Jeff Etea’s brace led Whitehall’s boys soccer team to a 5-3 victory over East Stroudsburg North on Sept. 12 at Whitehall.

“The motivation was that we hadn’t started the season strong, so we knew we had to win and get goals, and that’s what we did,” said Etea, who scored both of his goals in the first half. “It started with a good boot up at the back, we played it up top, and our striker saw me, so he chipped it over. The keeper came off his line, and I headed it in.”

Richards found the back of the net twice in the first half, which ended in a 4-1 Zephyrs’ lead.

Said Etea, “I think we had the mindset that the game’s done, but the game’s never done. When they scored their second one, we realized that they could come back, and we had to lose that mentality. From then, it was just keeping possession.”

Richards completed the hat trick in the 57th minute on an assist by Etea.

East Stroudsburg North’s Jayden Ramos put the Timberwolves on the scoreboard for the second time in the 65th minute that appeared to be saved by Whitehall keeper Marques Reid but was bobbled.

“He’s a good senior and can provide minutes for us, and he put in a decent game,” said Whitehall head coach Christian Malone. “I think today was an opportunity in the second half to get some younger guys some time that we typically don’t play. That’s a good thing because those guys will be seeing the field next year.”

East Stroudsburg North’s goalie (name unavailable) made two consecutive tremendous saves, the second with help from the Timberwolve’s defenders, and a third save as a charging Richards attempted a fourth goal.

In the last three minutes of play, North’s Diego Cano scored on an assist by Ramos.

“I think we still have a fair amount of work to do. Keep getting better every day is important. I think the difference is small details, and small details add up, and I think that’s why there’s been three ties (Easton, East Stroudsburg South, Stroudsburg),” said Coach Malone. “We gotta win, gotta win, gotta win. We’re not winning enough games. Nazareth has got to be a win. I think mindsets in training are important to have that right, and it’s not quite there yet. That’s the difference between a 0-0 tie and a win.”