MONMOUTH
MEN'S SOCCER WEEKEND PREVIEW
Friday,
September 16, 2011
(RV) Monmouth (3-1-0) vs. Seton Hall (3-1-1)
Location: The Great Lawn - West Long Branch,
N.J.
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
Live Video: GoMUHawks.com
Live Stats: GoMUHawks.com
Sunday, September 18, 2011
(RV) Monmouth (3-1-0) vs. Bucknell (2-3-0)
Location: The Great Lawn - West Long Branch,
N.J.
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Live Stats: GoMUHawks.com
The Monmouth University men's soccer team, ranked No. 24 in the latest College
Soccer News National Poll, plays host to intrastate rival Seton Hall and
regional foe Bucknell this weekend on The Great Lawn. The Pirates visit West
Long Branch on Friday night at 7 p.m. for a contest under the newly-installed
lights on The Great Lawn, while the Bison come to town on Sunday at 1 p.m. The
Pirates have gone unbeaten in their last four games, including three straight
wins. The Bison are 2-3-0 so far this season, having lost their last two
contests at South Bend, Ind., against Indiana and the host Irish of Notre Dame,
both of which are nationally-ranked.
FOLLOW THE HAWKS LIVE
Live video for Friday night's game will be available on Hawk Vision.
Subscriptions start at $6.95 for the single game, while one-month ($7.95),
four-month ($20.95) and 12-month ($59.95) subscriptions are also available.
Live stats for both the Seton Hall and Bucknell games will be available free of
charge at www.GoMUHawks.com.
BREAKING DOWN THE SETON HALL PIRATES
After a
season-opening defeat to Rider, the Pirates (3-1-1) have gone unbeaten in their
last four games, including three straight victories over Army, Boston
University and Saint Peter's. Sophomore forward Max Garcia has tallied a
team-high four goals and eight points, including the game-winning goal in
overtime against Boston University. Junior midfielder Adriano Gabriele has also
added two goals, while three other Pirates have one goal each. Seton Hall's
games have been remarkably evenly-played, with the Pirates owning an 81-76 edge
in shots, a 24-22 advantage in saves and corner kicks being an even 26-26. Even
fouls are tight, with Seton Hall's 89 edging the opposition's 86. Nevertheless,
where the stats mean the most, Seton Hall has a 9-6 edge in goals, en route to
a 3-1-1 mark. Sophomore goalkeeper Anthony Reichwaldt has posted a .786
goals-against average, compiling 22 saves in five games this season.
BREAKING DOWN THE BUCKNELL BISON
The Bison (2-3-0) fell in a pair of matches at the Mike Berticelli Memorial
Tournament, hosted by Notre Dame this past weekend. Bucknell fell to Indiana,
3-2, before losing to the host Irish, 2-1. In two home games prior, the Bison
defeated Saint Francis (Pa.) and La Salle. Bucknell is led by sophomore
defender Mayowa Alli, whose three goals, two assists and eight points are all
team highs. Alli also added the golden goal in overtime against La Salle.
Junior forward Brendan Burgdorf has also tallied two goals and two assists,
while senior midfielder Luke Joyner has added a goal and two assists. Senior
goalkeeper Tommy Caso has seen the majority of action in net for the Bison,
posting a 1.85 goals-against average and a .556 saves percentage. Bucknell has
outshot opponents, 90-52, and taken 36 corner kicks to the opposition's 28.
FIERCE COMPETITION
Monmouth played in a tournament with perhaps the most high-end talent in the
country last weekend. The Stihl Soccer Classic featured No. 14 William &
Mary, the No. 18 Hawks, and Old Dominion and East Tennessee State, both of
which received votes in the NSCAA poll and ranked at least 22nd in
either the College Soccer News or Soccer America national polls entering the
week. After defeating William & Mary, the Hawks fell to the most potent
offense in the nation, Old Dominion, which enters the week averaging 4.33 goals
per game.
THE ALLEN EDGE
Senior RJ Allen (Old Bridge, N.J./St. Joseph's) figured in each of the Hawks'
three goals in three consecutive 1-0 wins to start the year. Most recently,
Allen used two quick touches to feed George Quintano (Manalapan,
N.J./Manalapan) for the difference maker against then-No. 14 William &
Mary.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Junior goalkeeper Alex Blackburn and the Hawks defense posted three consecutive
clean sheets to start the season before allowing three goals to Old Dominion.
Monmouth's .750 shutout percentage ranks eighth in the country.
POSSESSED
The Hawks have dominated possession so
far this season, as evidenced by a 55-29 advantage in shots and a 28-15 edge in
corner kicks.
GREAT LAWN, GREAT RESULTS
In Robert McCourt's tenure at
Monmouth, the Hawks have posted a 53-10-13 record on The Great Lawn, good for a
.783 winning percentage.
POWERFUL PERCENTAGE
Head Coach Robert McCourt, in his eighth season with the Hawks, won his 90th
career match with a victory against No. 14 William & Mary. He's now posted
a 90-29-24 mark in his career, good for a .713 winning percentage.
PARKING REMINDER
Fans planning to attend this weekend's games are reminded that parking in Lots
11 and 12 will not be permitted. Fans are asked to park in commuter parking,
Lots 13 and 14.
