SALT LAKE CITY - Four different Griffins found the back of the net and Will Desantis recorded his second straight shutout as Westminster men's soccer beat Cal State East Bay 4-0 Sunday afternoon at Dumke Field. 

"I think we came out very slow today and were fortunate to get a goal against the run of play in the first half," head coach Josh Pittman said. "In the second half, we were able to settle down and find a rhythm. Our passing improved quite a bit and that allowed us to put our mark on the game."

The Pioneers and Griffins battled in a scoreless tie for much of the first half until senior defender Preston McIllece scored the match's first goal in the 40th minute. Cal State East Bay attempted to clear a Westminster corner kick. Griffin midfielder Gavin Flitton collected the clearance and took a shot from well outside the box that forced a diving stop by Pioneer keeper Juan Diego Escalante. The ricochet rolled in front of the net, and McIllece was there for the finish.

The Griffins extended their lead to 2-0 in the 60th minute when Flitton dribbled to the top of the box and fired a right-footed shot that forced a diving stop by Escalante. The ball fell to Westminster midfielder Cristian Alfaro, who calmly found the back of the net from close range. 

Westminster tacked on a third goal in the 68th minute. After the Griffins built up an attack, midfielder Ted Scott found forward Adir Hazout on the run approaching the right side of the box. His initial shot was saved, but the ball came right back to him. Hazout collected, took a dribble to his left and found the back of the net with a left-footed strike. 

The final Westminster goal came in the 90th minute. Hazout played a cross to forward Max Bingman, whose glancing shot hit the left post. The ensuing clearance ended up at Hazout's feet, and he played another cross that Bingman put away with a leaping header. 

Desantis finished with seven saves in the shutout.

The match was delayed twice due to lightning in the area. The first delay was in the 3rd minute and the second came during halftime, extending the break substantially.

The Griffins will travel to St. George, UT next weekend for matches on Friday against Texas A&M International and on Sunday against Eastern New Mexico University.