Men’s soccer (7-5-1) secured an amazing win for the Hawks after facing the University of Pennsylvania (9-2-1) in an outside division matchup on their home turf that ended in a 1-0 win.
Given the backgrounds of both teams, the pressure was on from the start forcing both teams to lock in defensively. The first 15 minutes were a tough battle of the boxes as both teams tended to struggle for their opportunities. It wasn’t until the second half that the Hawks found their momentum.
As the teams continued to face off, Monmouth was able to break through and score in the 74th minute. The Hawks were awarded a corner kick, which was placed into the box by Midfielder Patrick Osiecki. Midfielder, Brendan Tansey passed the ball from the top of the box to the front. It deflected off defensive player Gabe Dahlin before defender Bastian Hatcher scored with his final touch.
The tension in the last twelve minutes of the game could be cut with a knife. Penn attempted four shots throughout that time but were unsuccessful. The Hawks’ defense tightened up following the goal and withstood a press from the Quakers to secure the victory, 1-0/ Goalkeeper, Eryk Dymora, has now recorded three consecutive shutouts for the Hawks. He has also made one complete save, which earned his team the win. Dymora has also been named defensive player of the week after making seven saves against William and Mary this week. This made him the third Hawk to be honored by league officials this season.
The Hawks finished with ten shots, two of which were on the goal, allowing the goalkeeper to make only one full save. The Quakers finished with eight shots on goal, one of which was on target. Monmouth will play University of North Carolina Wilmington on Saturday, Oct. 26 for their final game of the regular season.
