WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University men's soccer team, ranked #10 in the latest NSCAA/HendrickCars.com National Top-25 poll, played Sacred Heart to a scoreless draw in double overtime Northeast Conference action on Sunday afternoon on The Great Lawn. The Hawks move to 8-1-1 overall this year, and 2-0-1 in the conference, while the Pioneers are now 8-2-1 on the season and 3-0-1 in the league.
"I thought we deserved a win today, we created some good goal scoring chances, but just didn't put them away," said Monmouth head coach Robert McCourt.
This marks the second straight season that the Hawks and SHU have battled to a scoreless draw in the regular season. Last year, MU, which was also ranked tenth in the country at the time of the match, went to Fairfield and came home with a 0-0 decision on October 2.
Monmouth had the better of the match's possession throughout, outshooting the Pioneers, 18-10, including 7-4 in both the first and second halves. The Hawks fired three shots in the second overtime, compared to one for Sacred Heart.
MU senior keeper, and Hermann Trophy candidate, Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains, N.J. /Scotch Plains-Fanwood) made a pair of saves to preserve the clean sheet for the Hawks, their league-leading sixth of the season. The shutout also marked the 31st of the captain's career, further pushing his school record.
The Hawks also made a pair of defensive saves in the contest as Christian Nogueira (Kearny, N.J. /Kearny) recorded one in the first half and Bryan Davis (Glen Gardner, N.J. /Voorhees) had one in the second half to keep the Pioneers off the scoreboard.
Senior captain and Hermann Trophy candidate Ryan Kinne (Naugatuck, Conn. /Naugatuck) fired four shots to lead the MU attack, while Cesar Blacido (Ramsey, N.J. /Ramsey) and RJ Allen (Old Bridge, N.J. /St. Joseph's) each took three shots.
SHU keeper Alex Faith made six saves for the visitors, while Justin Brewer's three shots led the team.
The Hawks return to action on Friday when they visit Brooklyn, N.Y. for a 4:00 pm match with Long Island.
