Monmouth men’s and women’s soccer are at the top of the MAAC standings with two wins each in four days. Both teams overcame tough competition and remain unbeaten in conference play.
Men’s soccer beat Iona 2-0 on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 for a 4-0-0 record in conference play. This is the first 4-0 start in MAAC play for the team since 2007.
Julian Gomez netted his first goal of the game in the 43rd minute of play assisted by Jonas Lyshoj. Then just 3 minutes into the second Gomez struck again.
At the 48th minute Gomez was fed the ball by Nick Rodgers and Ben Zakowski and sent a shot to the upper- right corner of the net scoring his second goal of the game. This is the second multi goal game this season by Gomez.
Monmouth’s defense made it difficult for the Gaels and chances for Iona were turned away by Monmouth’s Sean Murray who on Monday, was named MAAC Defensive Player of the Week. Murray faced 15 shots from Iona making 5 saves and earning his 6th shutout for the season.
Head Coach Rob McCourt said, “I am proud of our boys today. Iona is a very good team and to get three points on the road is massive. “
Wednesday night Monmouth came from behind to beat Fairfield in an exciting contest on Hesse Field. The Hawk’s scored first when Robin Oswald scored his first goal of the season. Oswald netted a corner kick from forward Ben Zakowski in the first 4 minutes of the game.
Fairfield evened the score in the 19th minute then took a 2-1 lead ten minutes later. In the 29th minute Fairfield’s Jonathan Filipe released a shot from the corner of the box that made it to the back of the net.
Fairfield’s first half lead did not hold up. In the 54th minute Monmouth’s Liam McGregor redirected a cross from Zakowski. McGregor’s header tied the match at 2-2.
With just 13 seconds remaining midfielder Griffin Tomas sent the ball to Zakowski. Zakowski then delivered a quick strike giving Monmouth the 3-2 victory. Head Coach McCourt said, “The boys showed tremendous character tonight.”
As for Monmouth Women’s Soccer, the Hawks remain unbeaten in conference play with a 3-2 win over Niagara this past Saturday. This is the third consecutive win for the team and improves their overall record to 9-3-1 and 5-0-1 in conference play.
Monmouth took the lead in the 7th minute of the contest when Jesi Rossman scored her first goal of the day. Rossman propelled the Hawk’s to a 2-0 lead with her second goal of the game in the 67th minute of play. Rossman has three goals for the season and 10 for her career here at Monmouth.
Niagara didn’t let that stop them from battling back and cutting the lead in half with a goal in the 77th minute of play. Seven minutes later they evened the score with a penalty kick goal following a foul in the box.
Rossman drew a foul giving Monmouth a penalty kick in the 84th minute of regulation play. Lauren Karabin scored her first career penalty kick and the game winner with only minutes to go.
Wednesday night’s matchup against Fairfield went scoreless for 90 minutes of play. At the end of regulation play Monmouth had outshot the Fairfield Stags 22-11 but were not able to get the ball in the back of the net. Both teams battled for possession and the goalkeepers for each side shined.
In the opening minute of the second overtime freshman Olivia Ramirez netted her first goal of her career. Ramirez collected her own rebound and fired the ball into the back of the net. Monmouth goalkeeper Rebecca Winslow had a career-high six saves during the contest. Winslow is now 4-1-1 for the season. This is the third consecutive shutout for the Hawk’s this season.
Following the double overtime win Head Coach Krissy Turner called the game, “A fantastic performance for us on the road. I am super proud of how we played and stayed together as a team.” Men’s and women’s soccer will face conference opponent Canisius on Saturday, Oct. 16. Men’s soccer will kick off at 2:00pm at Hesse Field on The Great Lawn and women’s soccer will travel to Buffalo, NY for a 1:00 start.
