A quick goal and a first-half hat trick were all the Chattanooga Christian soccer team needed Friday.
The Chargers thumped Coffee County 5-0 as part of the seventh annual Cleveland Classic, held on CCS's turf field this year because of rain.
Coffee County appeared to score first and snag the momentum in the opening minutes, but an offside call negated the strike.
"It came in off of a corner (kick), and when it was headed to one of our guys, I think he was maybe a foot offside," Red Raiders coach Robert Harper said.
Instead it was the Chargers who scored first -- a minute later on a high, arching kick by Drew Bolano that bent just under the crossbar. Then it was all Will Patton.
Patton scored the remaining four goals, including three by the time the first half was over. He juked several defenders before heading toward the goal and sliding one in. Then he headed another goal off a corner kick with 10:40 to play, and his third goal came five minutes later.
"He's pretty good," said CCS coach David Stanton. "He played football and basketball, too, so he's just now getting his touch. He was our leading goal scorer last season, but those were his first goals this season."
Patton finished off his monster day with a penalty kick for the only goal of the second half. Despite the lopsided score, Stanton said it could be misleading.
"It was actually a close 5-0 game, which is interesting," he said. "We just have a tough offense and they got to scrambling, which breaks up defensive shapes. It's not how you plan it, and you try and keep your poise and control."
The CCS defenders made the thought of a comeback difficult, as they limited Coffee County's possession, often using bigger bodies to wrest the ball away. The Red Raiders' best chance game toward the end of the game when a free kick sailed toward the top of the net but was pushed over.
The win wraps up the tournament for the Chargers, and they have yet to suffer a loss in three matches.
Contact Idris Garcia at sports@timesfreepress.com.