Mitchell Martens notched a hat-trick and provided a pair of assists as the Providence Pilots men’s soccer team soared to a 5-0 win over Assiniboine Community College on Saturday.

The treble took the Steinbach native to 12 goals on the season—more than double the next-highest goalscorer—and elevated the Pilots to second place in the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC) standings.

“Mitchell will do whatever is needed to help our team be successful,” head coach Martin Ward told the MCAC after learning Martens had been named Player of the Week on October 1. “He played defense and midfield in our first few games but now he is playing forward. He is back to what he does best, which is scoring spectacular goals.”

On Friday the Pilots lost 4-2 to National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) rivals North Central University—Herby Magny scoring both goals for Providence. Next up is an October 9 appointment with Maranatha Baptist University in Watertown, Wisconsin.

The women’s team, meanwhile, fell to a 4-0 Friday defeat at home to North Central University before dropping a close, 2-1 decision to ACC on Saturday.

“I think we outplayed them all game, and their goalkeeper kept them in it by making some great saves,” remarked coach Joel Coursey. “A few calls that didn’t go our way could have ended up in penalties and changed the game.”

Jessica Caul of Fort Francis, Ontario scored the goal for the Pilots.

On the volleyball court Providence beat a trio of MCAC opponents and lost just once at its Invitational Tournament, improving an already stellar record to 11-2 on the season.

Despite losing their setter to injury in their opening match the Pilots rallied to beat Canadian Mennonite University in straight sets before dispatching University of Winnipeg College on Friday evening. A 3-2 win over Universite de Saint-Boniface extended the hosts’ unbeaten run to nine, although Assiniboine Community College ended the streak with a 3-1 Saturday win.

“We had a few players stepping up to play different positions and overall I think our teams did a great job of finding ways to win,” analyzed head coach Scott Masterson. “We had two of our returning players, Shayna Staerk and LaRae Penner, play very well for us as we put a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.”

Staerk, of Winnipeg, executed 54 kills, 20 aces, and 39 digs over the weekend while Steinbach’s Penner contributed 60 assists, six aces, and nine blocks.