Saratoga Springs, NY (9/8/07) – Junior goalkeeper NICK MELE (Delran, NJ / Delran) made nine saves to post his fourth consecutive shutout, however 11 th-ranked Montclair State could also not find the back of the net as the Red Hawks played a scoreless draw with Swarthmore in the Skidmore Alumni Invitational on Saturday afternoon.

The tie snapped MSU's three-game win streak to start the season and left the Red Hawks with a 3-0-1 record. Ryan Sutcliffe ( Milford, DE / Milford) had three saves for Swarthmore (3-0-2).

The match's first good scoring chance came in the 28th minute, when Montclair's JOHN ESPOSITO (Hillside, NJ / Hillside) played a diagonal ball backwards to a wide-open, MIKE KROL (Howell, NJ / Howell), who scorched the ball just inches wide of the net from 20 yards out.

A Montclair turnover led to a 3-on-2 opportunity for the Garnet in the 42nd minute, but skillful play from a Red Hawk defender forced a goal kick. Later, with just seconds on the clock, Swarthmore junior defender Rory Stackpole (Sanford, Maine / Sanford) sent a free kick into the box, but Mele grabbed the ball just over the head of junior Ladule Lako Lo Sarah (Davis, Calif. / Claremont).

Montclair opened the second half on the attack, culminating in TYLER MASTERSON's ( Long Valley, NJ / West Morris Central) too-high shot at 46:39 before the Red Hawks finally cleared the ball in the 3rd minute.

Swarthmore nearly got on the board five minutes later when a bouncing ball came to Nesterak in the box, but Mele came out in time to force an awkward shot that flew over the goal. In the 12th, minute, freshman Toby Resch ( Darmstadt, Germany / Ludwig-Georgs-Gymnasium) ran onto a free ball about 25 yards out but his shot was also too high. More scoring chances followed, as the Garnet attack continued to gather momentum.

The intensity escalated into more extracurricular activity in the 72th minute, resulting in a Montclair free kick and eventually a Krol bicycle kick shot that went well wide.

In the 83rd minute, Montclair's OWEN NICHOLS ( Princeton, NJ / Princeton) found the post with a shot from just inside the box. The ball came out to Red Hawk MIKE VERMES ( Cinnaminson, NJ / Cinnaminson), but Sutcliffe sprinted to the ball in time to cut off Vermes's angle and made the save.

The fast and furious play continued right to the end-of-half horn, when Garnet senior midfielder Andrew Macurdy ( Lumberton, N.J. / Rancocas Valley) forced Mele to make yet another save from 30 yards out.

Swarthmore nearly ended the game after sophomore forward Andres Freire ( Philadelpia, Pa. / Central) fed a beautiful pass to Nesterak through traffic. Nesterak dribbled around one more defender and got off a good shot, but it went just wide. Two Garnet corner kicks followed, but the Red Hawks finally cleared the ball with just over four minutes on the clock.

Nichols one-touched a powerful shot in traffic near the goal just over three minutes in, but the ball went right into the waiting arms of Sutcliffe, who went down to his knees to secure the save.

The Red Hawks continue action in the Skidmore Alumni Invitational on Sunday, September 9 as they play the host school at 2:00 pm.