BUCHANAN — To say Dowagiac’s Alec Saylor is red-hot to open the season may be a bit of an understatement.

In two matches, Saylor has scored six goals — three in each match — as the Chieftain soccer team has defeated Covert (4-2) and Buchanan 9-0.

The lopsided victory against the host Bucks Wednesday night only lasted 40 minutes.

The match was stopped at halftime due to the eight-goal mercy rule.

Also scoring for the Chieftains in the match were Chance Wernlund with a pair and Cristian Wilson with two goals.

It did not take long for Saylor and the Chieftains to get on the scoreboard as he picked up the first goal of his hat trick in the first minute of the match.

He also scored in the 15th and 26th minutes.

Wernlund’s goals came in the third and ninth minutes, while Wilson’s tallies came in the 29th and 37th minutes.

“Buchanan was a young team. You can see they need some work to do,” Dowagiac coach Mike Williams said. “Our goal is to get some other people in when you are playing against a younger team like that. They got to play a lot more and practice positions that we are going to need them to sub in at. That is how we benefit.

“Those younger kids need to develop to play a bigger role in those spots. We have a good core of returners, but we still have plenty of young ones on the field that need to step up.”

Buchanan first-year coach Russel Phillip said that his team has a lot to learn.

“It is a rebuilding year,” he said. “We are just starting from the basics. They are not used to how physical the game can be. These bigger teams, when they move the ballaround, it shows us what we need to work on in practice and what it takes to be a good team.”

Dowagiac will now host its annual Chieftain Invitational Saturday.

The Chieftains and Rangers will play at 10 a.m. before Cassopolis takes on Fennville at 11:30 a.m.

Dowagiac and Fennville will wrap up round robin play at 1 p.m.

DOWAGIAC 9, BUCHANAN 0

Halftime score

Dowagiac 9, Buchanan 0

First half

D – Alec Saylor 1st minute.

D – Chance Wernlund 3rd minute (Saylor assist).

D – Wernlund 9th minute.

D – Saylor 15th minute.

D – Wernlund 19th minute.

D – Saylor 26th minute.

D – Cristian Wilson 29th minute (Wernlund assist).

D – Wilson 37th minute.

Varsity record: Dowagiac 2-0