WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – With each team having allowed only four goals in eight matches this season,  the  Eastern Connecticut State University-Salem State University men's soccer game Tuesday afternoon at Thomas Nevers Field figured to be low-scoring and tightly contested.

It didn't quite work out that way.

Eastern (6-2-1) broke through for two goals in the first 12 minutes and rode a breakout game by sophomore forward Mitch Power  (Douglas, MA) as the Warriors dismantled Salem (6-3-0), 5-0,  in a faceoff between two programs which have qualified for NCAA  tournament  play in each of the past two years.

Power, who had managed only two assists in his first 23 matches after scoring 80 in a four-year high school career, found his goal-scoring touch with the first three goals of his career (along with an assist) as the Warriors rode to their fourth win without a loss this year at Nevers Field. They have outscored those four opponents, 15-0,

Since resurrecting a rivalry which lay dormant for 12 years, Eastern is unbeaten (3-0-1) and has posted shutouts each of the past three seasons against the Vikings, who had lost only seven of the first 26 times the teams had met through 1995. The win over Salem each of the last three years has left Eastern with an identical record of 6-2-1.

Having dropped from No. 5 to a tie for No. 7 in New England in this week's poll after a 2-1 loss at Trinity College six days ago, Eastern scored the only goal it would need Tuesday in the sixth minute of play when 2010 Little East Conference scoring leader Matt Furman (Montville) headed in his team-leading fifth goal of the season on a long cross from sophomore forward Kyle Surprenant (Coventry).

Power's first career goal six minutes later made it 2-0, and Eastern put the match away with 16 minutes left in the first half when Power set up sophomore midfielder Luke Capezzone's (Colchester) second goal of the season. Power worked a give-and-go with sophomore back Christopher Giustina (Enfield) to make it 2-0, and Capezzone popped in the rebound of Power's shot to all but seal the game at 3-0.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, sophomore forward Tom Vear (Monson, MA) found Power alone in the box with a crossing pass from the right flank, and Power's hard shot hit the crossbar and bounced in to push the lead to 4-0. Power completed the hat trick with 6+ minutes left when he beat Salem junior keeper Scott Hall one-on-one after receiving a through-ball from sophomore midfielder Zach Kice (Denver) in stride

Senior Carl Appel (West Windsor, NJ), who shares the program career record with 23 full shutouts, and junior Jordan Munsell (Waterford) combined on their second consecutive shutout. Appel made six saves in the first half and Munsell came on to leave his feet for three saves to preserve the shutout in the second half. Appel has started all four matches in net in his career against Salem and stretched his scoreless streak against the Vikings to 211 minutes and 14 seconds with Tuesday's 45 shutout minutes.

The five goals was the most scored by either team in this series since the Vikings' 5-0 win at Nevers Field in 1995. The Warriors had last scored at least five goals against Salem during their undefeated regular season in 1969 in a 9-0 verdict at the old Alumni Field.

Eastern hosts Western Connecticut State University Saturday at 1 p.m. in a Little East Conference match at Nevers Field.