MONMOUTH MEN'S SOCCER PREVIEW
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Monmouth (0-4-2) at Howard (1-4-2)
All-Time Series: Tied, 1-1-0 (Last meeting: MU, 5-0 – Sept. 6, 2015)
Location: Greene Stadium – Washington, DC
Kickoff: 1 p.m.
Live Video: None
Live Stats: None
The Monmouth University men's soccer team returns to action Saturday afternoon, when it travels to our nation's capital to face Howard. The Hawks look to get back into the win column following a tough 4-3 setback to Columbia on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Bison have earned ties against NEC Preseason favorite LIU Brooklyn and perennial contender Central Connecticut in their last two matches.
BREAKING DOWN THE HOWARD BISON
Howard is led by Andres Gomez, whose two goals are a team best. Joel Pagan has also scored, while Daniel Hart has also dished out an assist. Kenneth Hersey has seen every minute in net for Howard, posting a 1.20 GAA and an .800 save percentage. The Bison scored a 2-0 win on Sept. 3 over VMI.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. HOWARD
The all-time series between Monmouth and Howard is tied at 1-1-0. The Bison won the series opener in 1998 before Monmouth scored a 5-0 victory last season on Hesse Field.
NIGRO'S NIGHT
David Nigro matched his career-best of five points in a single game on Sept. 14 vs. Columbia. The senior forward scored twice and added an assist, matching his output vs. UMass Lowell in the 2014 season opener.
AREMAN ARRIVES
Junior midfielder Jake Areman, a Maryland transfer, scored his first goal as a Hawk and added an assist against Columbia on Sept. 14. The three-point output matched Areman's one-goal, one-assist effort for the Terps last season in a victory over St. John's.
DEPENDABLE DEFENDERS
Sophomore holding center midfielder Anderson Asiedu and freshman back Andy Martinez have yet to leave the field thus far in 2016. Both players have accounted for 580 minutes played in six games.
SCHAEFER SHOWING UP
Freshman Geoffrey Schaefer has responded well to increased playing time of late, developing several offensive chances and assisting on David Nigro's goal at UMBC on Sept. 10 for his first collegiate point.
FLIPPING IT IN
Sophomore forward Jalil Blalock, whose signature goal celebration is a back flip, scored his first goal of the season on Sept. 1 at Hartford. Blalock received a feed from Dave Nigro in the middle of the 18-yard box and went inside the right post for the score, his third-career goal.
CONTINUING TREND
Colin Stripling led the Hawks with six goals a year ago and began this season in the same way. The senior midfielder deposited the ball in the back of the net on a penalty kick in the 37th minute against Denver as the Hawks and Pioneers played to a 1-1 draw. He then added his second goal at UMBC, equalizing at 2-2 in the 54th minute.
RUBBING ELBOWS WITH THE NATION'S BEST
A fixture in the national polls over the last several years, the Hawks were ranked No. 30 in the College Soccer News Preseason Top 30 to earn a national ranking for the 11th straight season. The Hawks also received votes in the poll's second week. Monmouth reached a program-high of the No. 4 ranking in 2010.
PRESEASON RESPECT
Winners of two of the last three MAAC Regular Season Championships, Monmouth was selected by the league's coaches to win the title once again in 2016. In addition, five Hawks comprised the 11-member Preseason All-MAAC Team. Goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky was named the Preseason Player of the Year, while Anderson Asiedu, David Nigro, Zachary Pereira and Colin Stripling were also named among the top players in the league.
RETURN OF THE MAC
Sophomore Anderson Asiedu was named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List, becoming the first sophomore and the 10th Hawk in Head Coach Robert McCourt's tenure to garner the honor. Asiedu joined Joseph Schmid (2013), Ryan Clark (2012), RJ Allen (2011), Max Hamilton (2011), Anthony Vazquez (2011), Ryan Kinne (2009, 2010), Bryan Meredith (2010), Chase Barbieri (2009) and Tom Gray (2007) among Monmouth players to earn the recognition.
THE GOLD STANDARD
Monmouth Head Coach Robert McCourt's teams have won nine conference regular season titles in his 12 years directing the program. Included in the Hawks' run of success are five conference tournament championships in the last 10 years and the accompanying NCAA Tournament berths.
SOLID COMPANY
Monmouth's 17-game unbeaten streak last season stood as the second-longest streak in the nation. Denver and Georgetown tied for the longest streak in the nation at 18 games, while Creighton and Stanford had their streaks snapped at 15 contests.
Longest Unbeaten Streaks in NCAA Division I (2015)
1. Denver 18
Georgetown 18
2. Monmouth 17
3. Creighton 15
Stanford 15
4. Clemson 13
LIU Brooklyn 13
5. Wake Forest 12
North Carolina 12
KLENOFSKY CLIMBING MAAC ALL-TIME WINS LEADERBOARD
With the Hawks' 2-1 win in double overtime at Manhattan on Oct. 21, 2015, junior goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky moved into sole possession of second place all-time in the MAAC with 28 career victories in net. Klenofsky, who now stands at 31 career wins, moved past Niagara's John Fiutowski (2006-09) and only Iona's Nils Binstock (2006-09) remains ahead of the Hawks' junior goalkeeper with 38 career wins.
RETURNING CAST
Monmouth returns the scorers of 30 of their 41 goals from a year ago, led by leading scorer Colin Stripling (6). Stripling also had five assists to lead the team with 17 points. David Nigro and Miguel Alves also scored five goals apiece, while Zachary Pereira came on strong to score four goals from the back line. Danny Figarella and Andrew Gee chipped in with three goals each, while Anderson Asiedu and Jalil Blalock scored twice each. Along with Pereira, center back Joey Gudzak helped stabilize the Hawks' back line and 2015 MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year Eric Klenofsky is back for his fourth season as the last line of defense.
WELCOME TO THE SQUAD
Monmouth's newcomers include some exciting prospects, including Maryland transfer Jake Areman and 2015 Gatorade New Jersey Boys Soccer Player of the Year John Antunes. The back line lost Derek Luke, but brings a familiar look in Luke's brother, Michael, who will fill Derek's role. Fellow freshman Andy Martinez also looks to fill a pivotal role as a center back. Jacob Curtis, Colin Muller, Geoffrey Schaefer and Ryan Wells will also vie for minutes in their first year in the Blue & White.
