With two more decisive victories, the Hopkinton boys soccer team continued its march to the playoffs and a shot at a third straight state title.

After shutting out Conant, 5-0, on Sept. 17, the Hawks thrashed Stevens on the road, 5-1, on Friday, Sept. 19, to extend their record to 5-0-1.

“Tonight’s game was very satisfying in that we went to a tough place to play on a Friday night and totally controlled the pace of play,” said coach Scott Zipke. “Throughout the game, including spurts where it got pretty rough and tumble, we kept our composure and continued to work the ball around looking for chances.”

The hard work of starting center midfielder Travis Kuster and striker Kris Abildgaard paid off for both players, said Zipke. Each notched two goals.

Kuster found the back of the net first, in the 13th minute, after Joe Merrow sent a spot-on cross in the direction of Eric Kilens, who laid the ball in front of Kuster for the easy knock-in.

Travis Fuglestad scored next, a minute later, on a penalty kick after a Stevens defender saved a sure goal by Abildgaard.

Abildgaard notched his tallies in the 40th minute, off a Fuglestad pass at the near post, and in the 50th minute, from a Kuster pass that was headed and flicked into a mass of players in front of the net.

Kuster capped the Hawks’ scoring on an assist from Tim Glanville in the 61st minute. Stevens’ lone goal came in the 77th minute.

Jay Leblanc made two saves for the victors. Against Conant, the Hawks peppered the opposing goalie with 15 shots on net and 26 attempts overall, while Leblanc was only forced to stop one shot.

Zipke said the team accomplished both its goals – to start quickly and to get players other than Fuglestad on the scoring sheet.

Brooks Wood contributed first, burying the ball from 20 yards out after stealing it and beating two defenders. Fuglestad, with nine goals entering the match, added to his season totals with a left-footed blast from 20 yards out, and an easy tap in after Will Rendell drew the goalie the out of the net. Rendell assisted on Fuglestad’s first tally as well.

In the 66th minute, Abildgaard ran past four defenders near the endline and planted the ball in the back of the net.

Nick Windhurt contributed as well, speeding past several Conant players on a 50-yard sprint down the field and notching the fifth goal. The Hawks were scheduled to play next on Wednesday, Sept. 24, against 4-1 Mascenic Regional. They host 3-4 Fall Mountain on Friday, Sept. 26.