COLUMBIA, Ky. – Aleksi Pahkasalo netted his first-career hat trick to help propel the No. 9-ranked Lindsey Wilson men's soccer team to a 5-1 victory over Tennessee Wesleyan on Tuesday night at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.

Pahkasalo scored the first of his three goals in the 13th minute following a Bulldog miscue. A pass was deflected off of a defender and picked up by Pahkasalo between midfield and the 18-yard box. He dribbled into the left side of the box and as Tennessee Wesleyan goalkeeper Daniel O'Hare rushed out in a one-on-one scenario, Pahkasalo fired a curling shot around the keeper across the face of the goal into the lower-right corner.

A tackle just outside of the 18-yard box awarded the Blue Raiders a free kick in the 21st minute. Pahkasalo stepped up and struck the ball up and over the Tennessee Wesleyan defensive wall, beyond the reach of O'Hare into the top-left corner of the net for his second score.

The hat trick was completed when Pahkasalo took another free kick from about 30 yards out in the 54th minute. He fired a laser past the leaping defensive wall into the lower-left corner to beat the diving keeper.

Serge Gomis got the scoring started on the night for Lindsey Wilson (3-1) with his first career goal in the 11th minute. A loose ball trickled out to him 25 yards away when he struck a high-velocity shot directly at the keeper. The keeper attempted to make the save, but the powerful shot deflected off his hands into the top of the net.

The final goal of the night for the Blue Raiders came from Franco Roman in the 54th minute.

Yusuf Ackers raced down the left side before sending a low cross into the middle of the box where Roman came sliding in between a pair of defenders and tapped the ball into the lower-left corner of the net for the fifth and final Lindsey Wilson goal.

The Bulldogs' lone goal was scored on a penalty kick by Nelson De La Pava in the 35th minute after a foul in the box awarded Tennessee Wesleyan the spot kick.

Tennessee Wesleyan outshot the Blue Raiders 19-13 on the night, but Yuta Nomura saved seven out of eight shots on goal for his third win of the season. The Bulldogs also had seven corner kicks compared to the Blue Raiders' three.

With 15 minutes remaining, the game went into a slight delay after a power outage knocked out the stadium lights for 19 minutes. After play resumed, the Bulldogs attempted to add another score on the night, but the Lindsey Wilson defense and Nomura held on for the 5-1 victory.

The Blue Raiders next take the field on Sunday, Sept. 6 at Roosevelt (Ill.)