EMMITSBURG, Md. - The Monmouth University men's soccer team, ranked #11 in the latest NSCAA/HendrickCars.com National Top-25 Poll, played Mount St. Mary's to a 2-2 draw in Northeast Conference play on Friday afternoon. The Hawks, who have already clinched a berth in the upcoming conference tournament, move to 12-1-3 overall and 6-0-3 in the league with the draw, while the Mount moves to 7-10-1 and 4-5-1.
"We did more than enough to win the game today and I thought we created some good goal scoring chances," said MU head coach Robert McCourt. "Credit Mount St. Mary's, they were resilient today and we made two errors and they capitalized on both of them. The team's mood is still very high and we are excited about Sunday and the opportunity to win another championship."
The Hawks can secure the program's unprecedented sixth straight regular season conference championship with a win or draw on Sunday against Quinnipiac. MU would also clinch if both Sacred Heart and Saint Francis University lose or tie their games, both of which are tomorrow. The Pioneers, who have already clinched a playoff berth, visit Fairleigh Dickinson, which is fighting for the fourth and final seed, at 7:00 pm, while the Red Flash, which is in already, visits rival Robert Morris at 1:00 pm.
MU took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute against the Mountaineers after junior RJ Allen (Old Bridge, N.J. /St. Joseph's) found Ryan Clark (Freehold, N.J. /Freehold Township) for the sophomore's third goal of the season.
The Blue and White held its 1-0 lead until the 73rd minute when Ty Fenstermacher struck for his first of two goals to draw the match even. The Hawks answered less than five minutes later when sophomore Kevin Davis (Blackwood, N.J. /Highland Regional [Loyola University (Md.)]) scored his first goal in a Monmouth uniform to give MU a 2-1 lead. On the play, junior George Quintano (Manalapan, N.J. /Manalapan) was credited with the assist.
The Mount was able to tally the equalizer 55 seconds later when Fenstermacher scored again, knotting the match at 2-2.
The two teams played a pair of scoreless overtime periods, and the match ended in a draw. Each side took 12 shots, but Monmouth held a decisive 13-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Hermann Trophy candidate keeper Bryan Meredith (Scotch Plains, N.J. /Scotch Plains-Fanwood) made four saves in the draw for Monmouth, which extended its unbeaten streak to nine matches.
