Maryville, TN – Junior forward
MIKE OLLA scored a pair of goals as No. 24 Montclair State completed a Tennessee two-step with a 4-2 victory over host Maryville College in the Maryville Fall Classic on Sunday afternoon.
Senior
DAMIAN BZIUKIEWICZ and freshman
KEVIN SIMEK each added a goal as the Red Hawks improved to 3-0 in sweeping their two games on the trip. Montclair State, which defeated Covenant (GA) on Friday, has opened the year with three straight wins for the fourth consecutive season.
It was the first meeting between the teams in nearly 15 years and the second overall. The Scots (2-1) edged Montclair 1-0 in Maryville on September 23, 2000.
Bziukiewicz gave MSU an early 1-0 lead as he knocked in pass from senior
LUCAS TERCI at the 3:54 mark of the first half. Each team would get a save from their respective goalkeepers in the next 10 minutes before Maryville tied the game on a penalty kick. Thomas Palmer converted the chance at 13:32 after MSU was called for a foul inside the box.
The would last just 70 seconds as Simek found the back of the net for his first career goal with Olla extending the lead to 3-1 with 14:47 left in the period with the first of his two tallies. He would score again 3:27 into the second half giving MSU a three-goal advantage which would stay for the next seven minutes when Palmer score again bringing Maryville within 4-2.
From that point on it was left up to the defenses. Maryville's Jon Taylor came up with a save on
KYLE GOODWIN in the 61
st minute and the Scots' Caleb Lucas banged a shot off the crossbar in the 68
th minute. Maryville would only get two more shots the rest of the way, neither of which were on frame.
Goalkeeper
MIKE SAALFRANK stopped four shots for his third win of the season as MSU outshot the hosts 18-13.
The Red Hawks flew home on Sunday and will be back on the pitch on Monday evening, September 7 at MSU Soccer Park. Montclair will face Farmingdale State as it will meet the Rams for the first time since 2002. Kickoff of the contest is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
