Northeast Lauderdale’s Jatyssion Beard hits a header during Thursday’s game at Southeast Lauderdale.

The Northeast Lauderdale tag team of Chap Pope and Abdurahman Alsadi proved too much for Southeast Lauderdale as the Trojans took a 6-2 win in Thursday night boys prep soccer action.

Alsadi finished with a hat trick, or three goals, for the Trojans, two of which came from assists by Pope — one on a throw-in, and the other on a corner kick. Pope, meanwhile, tallied two goals of his own to help the Trojans with a win right before Christmas break.

“It’s really important to try to keep momentum going, especially when we’re going to have a little time off,” Trojans head coach Noah Johnson said. “We knew we had to come out and execute tonight, and we did just that. We were a little sloppy on defense, but we responded well by just putting in goal after goal, and that’s what helped us tonight.”

Northeast Lauderdale got its first goal in the ninth minute when Pope used his arm strength on a throw-in to find Alsadi in the box. Alsadi hit the net off a header, and the Trojans took an early 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, Alsadi attacked the goal, and the Tigers’ keeper came out of the goal but missed the ball, allowing Alsadi to score easily and give his team a 2-0 lead.

The Trojans made it 3-0 off a goal by Pope in the 17th minute, but Southeast Lauderdale cut it to 3-1 in the 38th minute after a goal by William Wood. In the second half, Pope scored again in the 48th minute to put his team back ahead by three, but Wood made it 4-2 after a penalty kick in the 65th minute.

In the 70th minute, Doxey scored on a penalty kick to give his team a 5-2 lead, and Pope again found Alsadi in the box in the 73rd minute, this time on a corner kick. Alsadi scored his third goal of the night off Pope’s assist for the Trojans’ final goal of the game.

“I told (Alsadi) to go to the back post every time, because I’m throwing it over the keeper’s head every time,” Pope said.

Whether it’s his arm strength or his leg on a corner kick, Alsadi said he has full confidence in Pope’s ability to find him on the assist.

“It’s very helpful to have someone on the team that can put the ball right where I need it,” Alsadi said. “All I need is someone to put it in front of me and I’ve got it.”

Arm strength isn’t something fans normally associate with soccer, but Pope said he tries to use whatever skill he can to his advantage.

“I feel (my arm strength) is better than most, but it could still be better,” Pope said. 

Abdias Arreola had his team’s other assists, and Alsadi said Arreola and Pope’s passing abilities were the main reason for him getting a hat trick.

“I had some really good passes from my teammates, and I try to score on every opportunity,” Alsadi said.

Southeast Lauderdale will play at Meridian Friday, while Northeast Lauderdale plays at Choctaw Central Jan. 7.