Montclair, NJ (10/10/07) – Senior midfielder
OWEN NICHOLS (Princeton, NJ / Princeton) scored twice and assisted on another goal as Montclair State, ranked 10 th in the latest D3Kicks.com poll, posted its sixth straight win with a 4-2 victory over Kean University in New Jersey Athletic Conference men's soccer action at MSU Soccer Park on Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore
JOHN ESPOSITO (Hillside, NJ / Hillside) and freshman
AYTAC MALTA (Lake Hiawatha, NJ / Parsippany) each had goals as the Red Hawks improved to 13-1-1 overall and 5-1 in the NJAC with their third consecutive victory over Kean. MSU increased its lead in the series to 25-21-6.
Senior midfielder Konrad Kruczek ( Clifton, NJ / Clifton) and senior defender Martin Garrido ( Newark, NJ / St. Benedict's Prep) each had goal for the Cougars, who fell to 5-9 overall and 2-4 in the NJAC with their second straight loss. Of the nine losses by Kean this season, five have come against Top 25 teams, including four in the Top 10.
Scoreless through the first 10 minutes, Kean nearly got on the scoreboard in the 13 th minute, but an apparent goal was waved off for an offside. Montclair State would then take a 1-0 lead just over three minutes later as Nichols collected the first of his two tallies. Taking a loose ball on the right side, Nichols unleashed a shot from just outside the top of the box that found the back of the net on the far left post for his seventh of the season.
MSU would maintain its one-goal lead until late in the first half when Esposito was taken down in the box. The Red Hawks were awarded a penalty kick and Nichols made it count as he scored his eighth of the year as Montclair State led 2-0 at halftime.
The Red Hawks had several opportunities to extend its advantage early in the second half, but Kean goalkeeper Alfredo Oquendo ( North Plainfield, NJ / North Plainfield) made three saves to keep the score at 2-0. Meanwhile Montclair's
NICK MELE ( Delran, NJ / Delran) was also solid with three saves of his own until the 70 th minute as Jeff Fisher (Lawrence, NJ / West Windsor-Plainsboro South) made a long throw from the right side in to Garrido, who headed in the pass inside the near post to bring Kean within 2-1. It was Garrido's second of the season.
Montclair would get a few more chances to increase the lead but could not cash in until the 78:08 mark when Esposito knocked off a rebound on a shot by
TYLER MASTERSON (Long Valley, NJ / West Morris Central) for his fifth goal of the year giving Montclair State a 3-1 lead. The lead would be widened 72 seconds later as off a corner kick, Nichols lofted a pass to the far post where Malta was able to head in the ball for his third goal putting MSU up 4-1 with 10:40 to go.
Kean would get a goal back with 8:35 to play as Kruczek scored off an Anthony Tuesta ( Clifton, NJ / Clifton) pass for what turned out to be the final margin. It was Kruczek's fifth goal of the season.
Mele finished with seven saves for Montclair State, which outshot the Cougars 25-13 in the match and held a 12-7 advantage in corner kicks. Oquendo had seven saves as well as he played the final 45 minutes. Kyle Crego ( Ocean City, NJ / Ocean City) stopped four shots in the first half.
Both teams return to action on Saturday, October 13 with NJAC contests. Montclair State travels to Jersey City to face New Jersey City University at 1:00 pm in a rematch of last year's conference tournament championship game won by the Red Hawks in double-overtime, 2-1.
