High-octane offenses tend to implement results immediately. The Red men’s soccer team took it to a whole new level in a 3-1 victory over the St. Joseph’s University Hawks Friday night at Berman Field.

Red midfielder Jimmy Lannon scored his first goal of the year on a free kick in the second minute to set the tempo for the rest of the game.

After finishing the 2008 regular season 1-15, current head coach Jaro Zawislan took over a struggling program, and has since molded and formed a new and improved Red team.

The Red dominated ball possession, seemingly keeping the ball on the Hawks (0-5) side of the field for the majority of the first half.

According to Lannon, the victory was a great way for the Red (2-2-1) to open up their three-game home stand, and in their preparation for conference play.

“I think this [win] is a great morale booster,” he said. “We can really make a good push here leading up to the Ivy League [play].”

Zawislan encompassed a high-tempo offense once he took the reigns of Red soccer in 2009, and the results are evident. In his first year at the helm the Red scored 20 goals, doubling their offensive output from 2008.

On Friday night, Zawislan was impressed with the way his players were able to keep the positive energy going well after Lennon’s early goal.

“I was proud of our players,” he said. “They came out and executed the game plan very well, but also I was very proud that we could take the momentum and actually raise the level of the game…”

Although the team has made some progress, including climbing from a last-place finish in Ivy League play to a fifth-place finish last season, Zawislan believes there is still room for improvement.

“It’s a continuous work in progress and we are getting better,” he said. “We are getting better with everyday of practice.”

The Red hope to make wins a recurring theme for their program when they host Canisius College Sunday, Sept. 19 at 3 p.m, before welcoming in-state rival Syracuse to Berman Field on Sept. 22.

Lannon believes the win against the Hawks has provided his team with stepping-stones toward success; a trajectory that has them pointed in the right direction.

“If we get the right support and momentum going wins like this are going to set us off on a good path.”