Baltimore, MD (09/11/04) - Junior KYLE HUGHES (right) scored two second-half goals as the Montclair State men's soccer team defeated Johnson and Wales (RI), 3-1, in the opening game of the Alumni Invitational held at Johns Hopkins University on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman OWEN NICHOLS notched his first collegiate goal for the Red Hawks (2-0-1), who playing their first game since last Sunday. Earlier in the week, Montclair had its game at King's College (PA), postponed due to rain.

The game was scoreless for the first half even though MSU spent the majority of the half on the attack.. In the second half Hughes scored two goals within 19 minutes to put the Red Hawks up 2-0. Each goal came off a corner kick fed to him by classmate SEAN HORAN.

In the 86th minutes a Red Hawk player committed a foul in the box resulting in a penalty kick for the Wildcats. Senior Mark Blesser beat Red Hawk goalie CHRIS OWEN with a low hard kick, cutting the Montclair lead to one.

But Nichols quickly pushed the lead back to two as he was fed by DAVID AVILES and broke away to score the Red Hawk's third and final goal of the game.

MSU will face Guilford (NC) in its second game of the tournament on Sunday afternoon at 3:30pm.