MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. – Chris Varela scored two goals, while Ryan Capdepon recorded a pair of assists and made a key defensive stop in the opening minutes, to lead Mount Olive College past Francis Marion University 5-0 in non-conference men’s soccer action Wednesday at Trojan Field.

Adam Caston added two assists to help the Trojans (6-5-0) extend their winning streak to three.  FMU drops to 3-5-1.

After being held without a shot for the first 11 minutes of the match, Mount Olive recorded five shots in a span of five minutes. Francis Marion goalkeeper Nick Krywyj made saves on three of the Trojan attempts before Varela took a cross from Capdepon and scored from 10 yards out at the 16:15 mark.

Capdepon, a senior defender, assisted on the Trojans’ second goal with a service to Woody Stilley, who had open space at the top of the box. Stilley dribbled to the center, then bent a shot just inside the upper left post to give Mount Olive a 2-0 lead in the 20th minute.

The Trojans made it 3-0 in the 33rd minute when Bradley Carroll flicked ahead to Varela, who chipped the ball in from 10 yards out. Ryan Adamski scored from 10 yards outside the left post on a service from Caston as Mount Olive went into halftime with a 4-0 lead.

Mount Olive outshot Francis Marion 14-3 in the first half, but it was the Patriots who had the first scoring opportunity. Alden Brooks was denied a goal from 15 yards out when his shot was blocked by Capdepon in the eighth minute. On the ensuing corner kick, Trojan goalkeeper Chase Smith fisted the service high in the air and made a leaping catch in front of the goal line to prevent a Francis Marion shot attempt.

The Trojans added to their lead six minutes into the second half when Caston served to the left corner to Chris Jasso, who crossed to a wide-open Adrian Daniels for the goal. Varela narrowly missed a bid for his first collegiate hat trick 90 seconds later when his 20-yard attempt went just wide of the left post.

Smith recorded four of his five saves in the second half and Bryan Stitz made a sliding save on Chris Adrian’s 10-yard attempt in the 75th minute to combine on the Trojans’ fourth shutout of the season and second in a row. Mount Olive has allowed only one goal in its last three contests.

Mount Olive finished with a 25-10 shot advantage over the Patriots. Krywyj prevented further damage by recording a career-high 12 saves for Francis Marion.

Francis Marion plays host to North Georgia College and State University in a Peach Belt Conference match-up Saturday at 2 p.m.