BROOKVILLE, N.Y. — Emil Jaaskelainen was honored during a pregame Senior Day ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

The striker then became the third Division I player this season to score four goals in a match as the LIU men's soccer team remained in contention for the Northeast Conference title with a 6-3 victory against Le Moyne at rainy LIU Soccer Park.

Entering the regular-season finale, LIU (4-1-2, 14 points) sits a point behind Saint Francis U and FDU (both 4-0-3, 15 points) for first place in the conference.

The Sharks face FDU in Teaneck, N.J., on Thursday, while Saint Francis U travels to last-place Howard. Both matches kick off at 7 p.m.

Also at stake: The top two teams earn byes for the opening round of the six-team NEC Tournament next Sunday.

All NEC postseason matches will be at home sites, with the semifinals on Nov. 9 at the higher seeds and the final on Nov. 12.

All of Jaaskelainen's goals against Le Moyne came in the opening 34 minutes, 24 seconds.

He staked the Sharks to leads of 1-0, 2-1, 3-2 and 4-2.

He also headed a ball off the crossbar during the second half for good measure.

Jaaskelainen, who was named to the Hermann Trophy watch list in August, became the third Division I player to score four goals in a game this season. He joined Central Arkansas' Pietro Fontana (Sept. 23 vs. Queens) and Notre Dame's Eno Nto (Friday vs. Pittsburgh).

The last player to score his team's first four goals in a game was Seton Hall's Duncan McGuire on Nov. 10, 2022, in a 6-0 win against Creighton. McGuire's tally spanned both halves.

The last player to score four goals in a half was Western Michigan's Charlie Sharp, on Oct. 2, 2022, in the first half against Chicago State.

The six goals produced by LIU on Sunday marked its most in the Sharks era, and its most in a Division I game since LIU Brooklyn defeated Central Connecticut State, 7-2, on Oct. 9, 2016.

Jaaskelainen's goal total was the most by an NEC player since Saint Francis U's Calvin Rezende had four against FDU on Oct. 25, 2015.

Jaaskelainen's previous career high had been a hat trick against Howard on Oct. 10, 2021.

Before the game, LIU honored Jaaskelainen and a dozen teammates: Matthew Cozetti, Saïdou Diallo, Ben Assane Fall, Ethan Homler, Ivan Jara, Michael Mollica, Jojo Moulton-Condiotti, Michael Principe, André Puente, Christopher Seychell, Papa Sow and Robert Winkler.