FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Freshman midfielder Kalle Sotka (Helsinki, Finland/Makelanrinteen
Sports) scored his second goal of the game in the 110th minute to
propel the Monmouth University men's soccer team past Fairleigh Dickinson, 2-1,
Sunday afternoon in the Northeast Conference Tournament Championship at
Fairfield University's Lessing Field. With the win, the Hawks (14-5-1) advance
to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year. Monmouth will learn its
first-round opponent Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Knights
fall to 11-5-3 with the loss.
Sotka was named the NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Anthony Vazquez
(Belford, N.J./Middletown North [St. John's]), R.J. Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./St.
Joseph's) and Derek Luke (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) were named to the
All-Tournament Team.
"The effort and the energy
put forth by the guys all weekend was incredible," said Monmouth Head Coach
Robert McCourt. "I'm extremely proud of this group of young men and we're
looking forward to tomorrow's selection show and playing in the NCAA's."
Sotka got the Hawks on the board
first, collecting Luke's near miss off the post, before depositing it past FDU
goalkeeper Jacob Lissek in the 27th minute. The Hawks dominated play
in the first half, taking a 9-4 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in corner
kicks.
Jonathan Gonzalez evened the score for FDU in the 65th minute, corralling
a loose ball in front of the net before firing past Alex Blackburn (Natick,
Mass./Natick) from close range. Karlis Putans was credited with an assist.
Following nearly 20 minutes of scoreless play in overtime, Sotka struck for the
second time, unleashing a low shot from 30 yards out that found the bottom
right corner of the net past Lissek with just 20 seconds showing on the clock.
The play was started by Joseph Schmid (Kingston, Pa./Wyoming Valley
[Villanova]), who created a quick restart after an FDU foul.
For the game, the Hawks outshot the Knights, 22-10, and took an 11-0 edge on
corner kicks. Blackburn earned the win, making three saves, while Lissek took
the tough-luck loss, making nine saves.
The Hawks continued their recent domination of their Garden State foe. Monmouth
has now defeated FDU in seven straight matches, and has gone unbeaten in nine
straight against the Knights.
