KANSAS CITY, MO – The Principia men's soccer team kept its perfect start to the season intact on Monday, overcoming a second-half rally from Spurgeon College to earn a 6-3 road victory.

Principia was on the attack from the opening whistle, with Alberto Hernandez rattling the crossbar just over two minutes into the match. Alessio Ripamonti broke through shortly afterward, finishing a feed from Travis Peng in the fifth minute for his first collegiate goal. Spurgeon answered in the 17th minute, but the Panthers regained control late in the half.

Jann Wainaina restored the lead in the 35th minute with his first collegiate goal, and Keagan Sierra followed just over a minute later with the first of his career to send Principia into halftime ahead 3-1. The Panthers controlled much of the opening half with 16 shots while limiting Spurgeon to four.

The game tightened quickly after the break. Spurgeon scored in the 54th minute before equalizing a couple minutes later, suddenly wiping out Principia's two-goal cushion. The Panthers' response was immediate. A minute after the tying goal, Hernandez responded to put Principia back in front, 4-3.

Principia kept the one-goal advantage until the final stretch before putting the game away. Pedro Rocchi scored his first as a Panther off Peng's second assist of the afternoon in the 83rd minute, and Hernandez added another soon after to complete his second brace in as many games.

Hernandez's remarkable start to his freshman season now stands at four goals through his first two collegiate matches. His opening week earned him SLIAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors the following day. Principia also swept the conference's weekly awards as Edgar Cartagena was named SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week following his eight-save shutout against Illinois College in the season opener.

After opening the year with two straight victories, Principia returns home to face Harris-Stowe State University this coming Saturday at 3:00 PM CT.