BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – A dominating second-half performance helped propel the LIU Post men's soccer team past Saint Thomas Aquinas College, 4-1 at Pioneer Soccer Park on Wednesday, Oct. 17.
 
The victory gave the Pioneers a much-needed three points in the conference standings, moving them into a four-way tie for first place with the Spartans, Mercy College, and Queens College.
 
Graduate student Lukas Ostermann found the back of the net twice and added one assist on the day, moving him to within one goal (18) and one point (42) of the nation's leaders in both categories. Freshmen Paul Hein and Luke Kasulke added one goal apiece for the four-goal output by the Green and Gold. In goal, junior Matias Pesallaccia made three saves to earn his second victory of the season.
 
After a bit of a chess match to begin the contest, LIU Post got on the board just before halftime when Kasulke blasted a shot from 35 yards out that banked in off the bottom of the crossbar for his first career goal after having come on as a substitute just 68 seconds earlier. The 1-0 score line remained through the final five minutes of the opening stanza but did not last long in the second half.
 
The Pioneers opened the game up during the 54th minute when Hein headed in a crsoss from Ostermann on the left side of the pitch for his third goal of the season. Less than one minute later, Ostermann scored his first of the day when senior Vittorio Argeri found him with a pass inside the penalty area for a tap-in goal to make it 3-0. The goal flurry continued 25 seconds later when the Spartans got on the board as Lachlan Wilkinson received a pass from George Yusuff and slipped a shot past Pesallaccia for the lone Spartan goal. Ostermann put an exclamation point on the win when he volleyed in a floated cross from senior Christian Chavez during the 78th minute for the game's final tally.
 
LIU Post returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 20 when it hosts Daemen College for a 3:00 p.m. kickoff.