Senior forward Austin Wilson erupted for five goals as the Fulton Hornets soccer team dispatched Warrenton 6-2 in their season opener Friday night at the high school athletic complex.
Wilson put Fulton up 1-0 when he headed a cross from senior midfielder Matt Henry into the back of the net in the 32nd minute of the first half. Wilson again used his head to put the Hornets on the board, taking a cross from senior midfielder Kevin Wallace in the 33rd minute.
The Warriors cut the lead in half, scoring with 5 seconds left in the half to make it 2-1 at the break.
Wilson used his feet to secure a hat trick, scoring off a pass from senior defender Jared Strough one minute into the second half to push Fulton's edge to 3-1. Wilson supplied his fourth goal of the day on Wallace's second assist in the 3rd minute as the Hornets started to pull away.
Wilson then corralled a Wallace shot and put in the rebound for his fifth and final goal in the 9th minute to make it 5-1. Wallace capped off Fulton's onslaught when he collected a rebound, beat a defender one-on-one and scored in the 28th minute.
The Hornets compiled 15 shots on goal and had five corner kicks.
"The offense put passes together and made great runs off the ball," Fulton head coach Brad Oestreich said. "I was also impressed with the way our non-starters played in the varsity game.
"They were able to get a lot of playing time and stepped up and played great."
Warrenton notched its final goal in the 31st minute as the Hornets' defense limited the Warriors to just five shots on goal.
Fulton senior goalkeeper Craig Latty logged three saves.
"During the preseason we have focused on playing as a team, and for the first game I was extremely impressed on how well they did this," Oestreich said. "The defense communicated and worked together with (senior defenders) Cody Baumgartner and Caleb Lee being the leaders in the back."
The Hornets dropped the junior varsity game 1-0.
Fulton hosts Fatima at 5 p.m. Tuesday.