The Monmouth Men’s Soccer team soared as they took the win over Elon University. This win advances the team to the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship match, where they will go up against number one Hofstra University.
On Nov. 5, the Monmouth Hawks battled against Elon University on home grass. This sunny afternoon game was one to see with amazing plays on both sides of the field as well as saves.
In the first half much like the second, the Men’s Soccer team applied the pressure fast and hard as both teams struggled to get one in. At the end of the seventh minute, one of Elon’s forwards, Victor Stromsten, attempted a shot in the lower left where Monmouth goalkeeper #1 Eryk Dymora made one of his many saves yet to come that day. At the end of the ninth minute, Stromsten shot again, and Dymora, quick on his feet, caught the ball and kept the score 0-0. This earned Elon two shots on goal in the first ten minutes. Throughout the first half, Monmouth attempted to get one past Elon’s goalkeeper, but Tomas Wroblewski saved these shots. This continued into the second half where both teams continued to battle on the field, both eager for a point.
As the second half came to an end, it was clear that both teams were heading into overtime. Overtime proved to be just as challenging as both teams struggled to secure a goal, which led to the two teams playing in the second overtime. Elon’s only shot of the second overtime was stopped by Dymora, while forward #7 Ben Zakowski’s shot on goal was off.
As the two teams headed to the shootout, the Hawks were first on goal. Zakowski rocketed the ball into the back of the net, giving Monmouth the advantage. Next was Elon, where their shot was hit off the goalpost. In the second chance of the shootout, forward #14 Adrian Nesheim Roseth sent his goal straight into the net, sending Monmouth into a 2-0 advantage.
At Elon’s second chance, they scored. This brought the score to a 2-1 while heading into the third round of the shootout, where both teams missed their shots. In the fourth round of the shootout, #3 Olle Brorsson sent his ball flying into the back of the net. This gave the Hawks a 3-1 score at the start of the fourth round. Elon followed suit as they scored making it a 3-2 score.
With the last round approaching, Dymora took flight by shooting his shot into the lower right corner of the net, sending the team and fans into a fit of celebration. This goal helped Monmouth win and place them in the CAA Championship game. This game is also Dymora’s seventh shutout of the season and thirteenth overall for his career.
While this game against Elon was a long one, it was also filled with many great plays from players such as #8 Erik Reis, whose free kicks orbited the field, and #5 Gabe Dahlin, whose possession of the ball helped the team. #28 Arturo McConnochie’s footwork on the ball kept it on the field, and Brorsson had a shot on goal. Honorable mentions include #6 Santi Martinez-Sanchez, #9 Kevin Zapata, #10 Griffin Tomas, #11 Bastian Hatcher, #21 Patrick Osiecki, and #22 Jakob Friedman.
The Monmouth Men’s Soccer team and Elon University both had 10 shots while the Hawks had a 5-4 advantage in shots on goal. Monmouth also took a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The Hawks soar to the conference championship game for the first time since the 2021 season. Since 2009, the Monmouth Men’s Soccer Team has played in nine conference championship games.
Throughout the season, these talented young men have given their all in every practice and game, which is reflected in how hard they play. From advancing to double overtime to winning on penalty kicks (4-2), the Men’s Soccer team showed their dedication countless times in this 110-minute game.
In only their second year in the league, the Hawks advanced to its first CAA Championship match. On Saturday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m., the Hawks will play No. 1 Hofstra University on Hofstra home grass for the CAA Championship.
