Montclair, NJ – The second-seeded Montclair State University men's soccer team fell to third-seeded Stockton 2-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday night at MSU Soccer Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (12-5-2) were tested early, as the Ospreys notched a shot on frame in the third minute that had to be collected by ALEXANDER VELASQUEZ. A few minutes later, Stockton rattled off two more shots before the Red Hawks recorded their first attempt on goal from LOGAN NENO that was saved in the bottom right corner of the net.
• Stockton took the lead in the 27th minute on a right-footed free kick from outside the box. They doubled their advantage with under three minutes remaining in the first half, as they capitalized with a header on a contested ball in the box.
• Montclair applied pressure offensively in the early stages of the second stanza, as Neno, JUAN URIBE, and ALFREDO ROJAS tallied shot attempts over a three minute span. In the 58th minute, Neno sent a shot that hit the post, narrowly missing the opening goal for the Red Hawks. 
• Following a foul in the box in the 67th minute, SAMUEL EPITIME stepped up and converted a penalty kick to cut the deficit to one. Montclair recorded three more attempts on goal down the stretch, but the Stockton defense sealed the victory on the road.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• The goal for Epitime was his team-leading ninth of the campaign and improved to a perfect 4-for-4 from the penalty spot. 
• Montclair outshot Stockton 19-10 in the contest and held a slim 7-6 edge in shots on goal.
• Velasquez tallied four saves in net for the Red Hawks.

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will await Monday's NCAA Selection Show to see if they have earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.