Oprea's hat trick paces COD past Harper

In the last outing of a five-game homestand, the Harper College men's soccer team welcomed the 14th-ranked team in NJCAA Divsion I, College of DuPage, on Wednesday.

It was not the kind of encore the Hawks were looking for. Instead, it became the Dorin Oprea show for the Chaparrals. He had 3 goals as COD came away with a 7-0 win.

Oprea's first goal came in the seventh minute as a head-high shot slipped through the hands of Hawks sophomore goalie Andrew Larson (Schaumburg), and the rebound found Oprea. He struck again in the 21st minute on a set piece, sneaking a shot past Larson. Oprea's final goal came in the second half.

"They (Harper) tried to mark me all the time with two people," Oprea said.

Larson played the first half and made 5 saves.

"In the beginning of the second half they were moving the ball around, almost all of the second half was pretty good," said Harper coach Jason Diebold of his team's possession skills.

The second half saw the Hawks hit the post twice on well-struck shots near the 18-yard box.

Harper has lost its last three games and is 2-3 overall. The Hawks have another tough test Friday when they travel to Triton College. COD's next opponent is Lincoln Land Community College at 2 p.m. Sunday.