BROOKLYN, N.Y. ? The Monmouth University men's soccer team dropped their first Northeast Conference match of the season on Friday evening, 1-0 to St. Francis (N.Y.) at the Aviator Sports Complex. The Hawks are now 8-3-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the conference, while the Terriers improve to 11-2-1 overall and 4-1-0 in the league.

After a scoreless first half, St. Francis (N.Y.) struck for the match's lone marker in the 46th minute when John Sallhag scored his team-leading seventh goal of the season off an assist from teammate Alex Silaco. The Terriers outshot Monmouth 9-8 in the contest with the Hawks holding a 6-4 edge in the second half. St. Francis (N.Y.) also held an 8-5 advantage on corner kicks in the match.

“This was another evenly-contested, tough NEC match between two good teams,” said Monmouth head coach Robert McCourt. “We felt if we could keep Sallhag in check that we would win the game, but he got one chance and created a special moment to win the game for St. Francis.”

Freshman RJ Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./St. Joseph's) led the MU offense with three shots, including two shots on goal. Monmouth keeper Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains, N.J./Scotch Plains-Fanwood) made two saves in the match, while his counterpart, SFC's Chris Antonino, made three saves for the shutout.

The Hawks resume their weekend in Brooklyn when they face Long Island on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.