Montclair State University Athletics

Montclair, NJ – Powered by another high-volume offensive performance, the Montclair State University Men's Soccer team notched a 5-0 victory over New Paltz to open New Jersey Athletic Conference play on Wednesday night at MSU Soccer Park.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (9-2-0, 1-0-0 NJAC) drew a foul in the box in the fifth minute, leading to a penalty kick attempt that was slotted to the lower left post by SEBASTIAN LAPCZYNSKI to nudge the home side in front. Montclair tallied a pair of shots on goal over the next 15 minutes, with PIERRE SOUMEILLANT recording a save on the only shot on goal for the night from New Paltz in the 19th minute. Montclair doubled their lead in the 24th minute, as CARLOS BEDOYA served a corner kick into the box that was headed towards the front of goal by a defender. The ball settled at the feet of KEVIN CONTRERAS, who ripped a low shot back across goal and by the keeper.
• Montclair's back line held strong throughout the opening stanza, allowing only the third and final attempt of the half in the 27th minute. 13 minutes later, New Paltz recorded another foul in the box resulting in a red card and reducing the visitors to 10 men for the remainder of the contest. IVAN GARCIA stepped up and took the penalty kick attempt, sending a shot off the left post and into the back of the net, giving the home side a three-goal advantage going into the halftime break.
• Coming out of halftime, Contreras and TYLER DIAZ each recorded a shot on goal in the opening four minutes to keep the pressure applied offensively. Shortly after, the Red Hawks tacked on their fourth of the night as a clearance from the New Paltz goalkeeper was cut off by Contreras just outside of the box on the near side of the field. The midfielder gathered the ball, made a run towards a defender, pushing into the box, and bent a right-footed shot past the keeper towards the far post. One of the two shots of the second half for the visitors came in the 53rd minute, as the Montclair defense continued to put in another solid night.
• The Red Hawks scored their final marker of the contest two minutes after, as TOMAS MONTEIRO slid the ball through to JOSH VIRGIL, who made a run to the end line and sent a low centering cross to KENET LOPEZ, who flicked a shot into the back of the net. Montclair tallied five more shots over the next stretch of the second half as it passed its midway point. The visitors did not put a shot attempt on goal the rest of the way, as the Red Hawks sealed another clean sheet victory at home to kick off NJAC play.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Contreras recorded his first collegiate brace, pushing his season goal total to seven to rank second on the team. He has 10 goal contributions for the campaign and has recorded eight of them over Montclair's last five games.
• Lapczynski's goal marked his second of the season, as the defender remains perfect from the spot for his career at 7-for-7.
• Garcia has scored in two of his last three appearances, with Lopez picking up his third goal over Montclair's last four games.
• Monteiro increased his NJAC-leading goal contribution number to 15 with his fifth assist of the season, having factored into eight goals over the last five games.
• Virgil ranks third on the team in assists with four, as the winger has tallied one in three of his last four contests.
• Soumeillant posted his third clean sheet over his last four games, notching a save. He has accumulated eight wins in goal for the Red Hawks, which leads the NJAC among keepers.
• The Red Hawks have outscored opponents 34-0 over six games at home this season. Their 39 goals on the season and plus-32 goal differential rank second in the nation behind Saint John's (MN).
• Montclair has notched shutouts in each of their last four games, having not allowed a goal in 400 minutes, a season-long span. The team has recorded two stretches of 300 or more minutes in between goals allowed.
• For the night, the Red Hawks held a 23-5 advantage in shots, including a 13-1 mark in shots on goal. Montclair has allowed just 30 shots on goal all season and just five goals, which is the second-fewest total in the NJAC.

FROM THE FIELD

"Great job by the guys tonight to start NJAC play. We got off to a great start, took the lead early, and limited opportunities defensively. Now it's back to training as we prepare for a tough road game on Saturday." - Head Coach Todd Tumelty

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to Rutgers-Newark on Saturday, October 3. Kickoff from Newark, NJ is scheduled for 1:00 PM.