Box score
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ—Monmouth, ranked fifth in the latest national coaches' men's soccer poll, won for the sixth time in six games, defeating visiting NJIT, 3-0, Sunday afternoon.
The Hawks, a seasoned championship-caliber team, scored the only goal they would need late in the first half and then maintained the one-goal advantage until converting a pair of insurance goals in the last 12:54 of the match.
Monmouth, which returns 10 starters from its 2009 team that won the Northeast Conference, advanced to the NCAA Division I Tournament, and finished 13th in the final National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) national poll, had the better of the play in the first half, but did not get a score to show for it until 43:58, when Jacob Rubinstein converted a touch-pass from Ryan Clark.
After being outshot, 8-1, in the first half, NJIT (2-4) actually played better over the final 45 minutes, but the Hawks converted two chances late to pull away for the 3-0 win. The second half shots favored MU, 10-7, for an 18-8 game total.
The second goal of the game was a through ball from George Quintano to Cesar Blacido, who netted his first score of the season at 77:06. Quintano added a goal to his earlier assist, taking a pass from Ryan Kinne and firing the shot home in the 81st minute.
The most dangerous chance for NJIT came about a minute and a half after the Hawks had gone up by two goals. Adisa Craig, who did well serving the ball into the box from the left wing in the second half, sent one on target to Chico Lugo, who took a sinking header that was saved by Monmouth keeper Bryan Meredith, a candidate for the Herrmann Trophy as the top player in the nation. Meredith, who made three saves on Sunday, raised his shutout total to 28 in his career and three this season.
NJIT's freshman goalkeeper John Ricketti was credited with five saves.
An observer who tuned in and out of Sunday's game would have seen NJIT play the fifth-ranked Hawks competitively, particularly in terms of possession, for significant stretches, especially in the second half.
But Monmouth, playing with extreme confidence, always seemed ready to take advantage of any opening in the Highlander defense. And when the opening occurred, even a small opening, the Hawks had the goods to either score, barely miss their target, or force a big play from the defense.
On the other end, NJIT did well advancing and controlling the ball from midfield into the attacking third. But the Monmouth defense made things more difficult in the crucial last 25 yards.
On the rare occasions when the play got far enough, such as on the header by Lugo, who was one of NJIT's most effective players in the attack, the goalkeeper Meredith was flawless as his team's last line of defense.
“I thought we played better in the second half than in the first,” said NJIT coach Pedro Lopes. “Our players were aware of Monmouth's reputation and I thought we were too cautious in the first half. I thought we were less cautious in the second half, but when you face a team like Monmouth, you don't get that many opportunities, so you have to convert the ones you get.
“We didn't do enough with our opportunities and when we did, their goalkeeper, who's a Hermann Trophy candidate made a save on Chico (Lugo) that would have been a goal a lot of other times.”
On defense, NJIT was much stronger than in its 4-1 loss to St. Francis (NY) in the previous game. But Monmouth has players who can make a lot out of a little. “Being close to your man doesn't mean you've got him marked,” said Lopes. “You have to be more physical than we were or good players will make you pay.”
The Highlanders are off until Saturday, when they will visit another New Jersey non-conference foe, Rider, in a 2 pm match. Rider, too, played St. Francis (NY), losing 3-0 on Sunday, two days after the Terriers defeated NJIT.
