WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University men's soccer team, ranked #10 in the latest NSCAA/HendrickCars.com National Top-25 Poll, defeated in-state Northeast Conference rival Fairleigh Dickinson, 4-0 on The Great Lawn on Friday afternoon behind a pair of goals from senior Hermann Trophy candidate Ryan Kinne (Naugatuck, Conn. /Naugatuck). The Hawks, who improve to 8-1-0 on the season and 2-0-0 in league play, took the match's initial lead in the fifth minute against the Knights and never looked back, totaling their largest winning margin since 2007.
"This win means everything to us, we know that they are one of the top teams in the conference and we played a great game today," said Kinne.
Kinne, and the other six Monmouth seniors, will graduate without losing a regular season match against their Garden State rivals, outscoring FDU, 8-1 in the four wins. The four-goal difference is the series' largest since 1994, and it marks Monmouth's most decisive win over the Knights in program history.
The Blue and White took a 1-0 lead 4:16 into the match when junior RJ Allen (Old Bridge, N.J. /St. Joseph's) struck an accurate free kick that found senior captain Anthony Vazquez (Belford, N.J. /Middletown North [St. John's]), whose volley beat FDU's starting keeper, Jacob Lissek. The goal is Vazquez's first of the season, and the second of his MU career, while Allen's assist is his first of the season and the 14th of his time in West Long Branch.
Kinne scored his first of two goals less than three minutes later when his header, off a long pass from junior Cesar Blacido (Ramsey, N.J. /Ramsey), found the back of the net. Blacido's assist is his first of the year and the second of his career. MU carried its 2-0 lead into halftime, outshooting Fairleigh Dickinson 10-3 in the first half.
Sophomore Ryan Clark (Freehold, N.J. /Freehold Township) got in the scoring act in the second half, finding the back of the net with a brilliant strike on a free strike from 25 yards out to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead in the 57th minute. Clark's goal is his first of the season and the seventh of his young career in a Monmouth uniform.
"I thought today was a great win," said Clark. "We came out and played hard and won the game because of our midfield play. Max (Hamilton), (Ryan) Kinne and Cesar (Blacido) really dominated in the middle, and we had a complete team effort today. After we got the first goal, everyone's adrenaline got pumping and we played off the crowd's enthusiasm."
Kinne put the exclamation point on the impressive league win when he intercepted a pass 30 yards from the Knights' goal and unleashed a laser to the upper 90 for his second marker of the match. The tally was the captain's seventh of the season and the 30th of his career, placing him in a tie with Steven Holloway (2003-06) for third on Monmouth's career goals list.
"I have been having some good strikes on the ball lately, I got it (the second goal) clean and it felt very satisfying," said Kinne.
The MU defense, led by Vazquez and senior Hermann Trophy candidate keeper Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains, N.J. /Scotch Plains-Fanwood), recorded its league-leading fifth shutout of the season, limiting FDU to five shots. Meredith made three saves to build on his school record of 30 career shutouts.
"Keeping a clean sheet against a rival is huge for the defense," said Vazquez. "Everyone played defense today from top to bottom, from the forwards to the back. We played simple and were very effective."
The Hawks outshout FDU, 13-5 in the match, adding seven corner kicks compared to six for the visitors. MU now focuses on a Sacred Heart team that is 3-0 in league play after defeating Mount St. Mary's, 1-0 today.
"Sacred Heart is a very talented team," said Kinne. "We have to come out Sunday with the same intensity that we came out with today if we want to get a win."
"We can't be satisfied with this win today," added Vazquez. "We have to come out focused on Sunday and make sure we get the result."
The Hawks and Pioneers first-place clash starts at 1:00 pm on Sunday.
