Monmouth Defeats Siena 3-0 in Men's Soccer First Round
MAAC Sports
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Number four seed Monmouth defeated number five seed Siena in the first round of the 2014 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship at The Great Lawn on the campus of Monmouth University.
Monmouth jumped out to a lead after the Hawk’s sophomore midfielder Miguel Alves headed in a ball off a cross from senior forward Dom Sarle in the 28th minute past the Saints keeper, the goal was Alves first of the season. Ten minutes later the Hawks scored again before the half, this time coming off the head of freshman midfielder Andrew Gee in the 39th minute off a cross pass from junior defender Derek Luke to give Monmouth a 2-0 lead, the goal was also Gee’s first of the year. The physical play from both sides continued into the second half. Siena outshot Monmouth in the second half eight to four but could not get the ball past the Hawk’s keeper. Monmouth came back down the field in the 67th minute when sophomore midfielder Brandon McCarthy played the ball wide to senior midfielder Bryant Avalos who sent a cross pass to teammate Dom Sarle who deflected the ball into the net for the third and final goal for the Hawks, his sixth of the year. The Saints’ freshman forward Alexander Tejeras had three shots on goal for Siena, while junior forward Tom Allen added two.
The team’s controlled even possession through much of the match, with the Saints outshooting the Hawks 13-9. Siena was able to put seven shots on goal in the match to Monmouth’s six. Siena freshman goalkeeper Josh Weiss had three saves, while Hawk’s goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky made seven saves to mark his 12th shutout of the season.
Siena concluded its season at 10-8-2 overall.
Monmouth, now 9-3-6 on the year, earns a spot in the championship semifinal game next Friday, November 14 at Quinnipiac University. They will face either top seed Quinnipiac University or second seed Iona College. Both the MAAC semifinal and final games will be broadcast live on MAAC.TV on Friday, November 14 and Sunday, November 16. The winner of the 2014 MAAC Men’s Soccer Championship will earn the MAAC's automatic bid to the 2014 NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Championship.
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