The Columbus Crew conceded three goals for the second straight match and fell to back-to-back defeats Saturday night as NYCFC forward Hannes Wolf scored a hat trick in a 3-0 away loss for the Black & Gold. It marks head coach Henrik Rydström’s side’s sixth league defeat across 12 matches, and third league match in which the team has failed to score, as the Black & Gold languish in 12th place in the Eastern Conference.

The home side took an early lead in the 12th minute, capitalizing in transition. A driven through ball from Nicolás Fernández from the halfway line fell into the path of Agustín Ojeda on the right side of the 18-yard box. Ojeda cut the ball back with a right-footed pass to Wolf in the penalty area, who struck the ball first-time with his right boot into the bottom left corner of the net.

The pigeons doubled their lead just four minutes later in the 16th minute, as NYCFC connected on the left flank. Nico Cavallo played a through ball to Fernández around Steven Moreira on the left touchline, with Fernández quickly drilling a low left-footed cross into the six-yard box. Wolf, awaiting the pass, was able to fire off a left-footed shot just as quickly, thumping the ball past Patrick Schulte into the middle of the net as the keeper attempted a dive from the near post.

The Black & Gold saw an attempt on goal thwarted in the 43rd minute. Dribbling in from the right side of the 18-yard box, Max Arfsten cut the ball back into the penalty area. Diego Rossi struck it with his right foot, but his first-time shot aimed at the middle of the net was confidently caught by Matt Freese.

In the 61st minute, Rudy Camacho nearly got one back for the Crew. Receiving the ball from a short corner kick, Rossi lofted in a right-footed cross from the right corner of the 18-yard box into the penalty area. Camacho rose to meet the ball with his head, diving as he powered it into the right side of the goal, but Freese was quick to block it with his raised gloves before the ball was cleared.

The nail in the coffin for the Black & Gold came in the 66th minute. As Sean Zawadzki and Andre Gomes attempted to rid Fernández of possession at the top of the 18-yard box, Fernández tapped the ball slightly out of their reach. Wolf pounced on the opportunity, arriving and sending a powerful right-footed shot soaring into the top right corner of the net, out of Schulte’s reach, to complete his hat trick.

Following the defeat, Rydström discussed the moments that made the difference for the Black & Gold.

“[NYCFC] didn’t do anything we were not prepared for. We had them in situations… I think about our pressing game, we pressed them and we won the ball, but we couldn’t really take advantage of it. They did it,” Rydström said. “The first goal is us just letting them play through us, not stepping and then we allowed them to finish from close range. The second one is we lose the ball, and again, [we aren’t] really able to stop that counterattack. For me it looked a little bit like in the beginning of the season. The last six games, we have been good to erase those kind of behaviors. The behaviors from the first part of the season repeated [themselves] this game.”

Zawadzki noted that NYCFC was able to get the better of the Crew’s press.

“I think there was, I don’t know what the reason was, but I think we were a little disjointed in the way we wanted to press and they broke it, and then they were able to run at us and create some good chances and put the ball in dangerous spots.” 

The Black & Gold’s captain said that a lack of intensity could have contributed to the Crew allowing NYCFC to create opportunities.

“I think that can always bleed into what it is,” Zawadzki said. “Sometimes you give them a little bit too much time, you think you’re close enough and put their head down and make it difficult for them, but sometimes you get there and they have too much time on the ball and then allows them that little extra second to kind of create those dangerous chances.”

Up next, the Black & Gold continue their road trip as they face New York Red Bulls on Wednesday, May 13th at 7:30 p.m. ET. The match will be available to stream on Apple TV.