MONMOUTH MEN'S SOCCER PREVIEW
 
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Hartford (2-3-2, 0-0-0 America East) at Monmouth (2-4-1, 0-0-0 MAAC)
All-Time Series: Hartford leads, 2-1-1
Location: Hesse Field on the Great Lawn
Kickoff: 7 p.m.
ESPN3: http://www.espn.com/watch/_/id/3174683/hartford-vs-monmouth
Live Stats: https://flyhawks.co/2hezFwX
  
The Monmouth University men's soccer team will compete in one last non-conference match when it hosts Hartford (2-3-2) on Wednesday night. Originally scheduled for Tuesday, the contest was postponed due to impending weather conditions. The Hawks (2-4-1) are looking to snap a three-game losing skid after dropping games to 2014 College Cup participant UMBC, defending Ivy League Champion Columbia, and #25 UMass Lowell. Five out of Monmouth's seven games this season have been decided by one goal, with the others being a 0-0 double overtime draw at #14 West Virginia and a 2-0 win at home against Penn. Following Wednesday's match, Monmouth's next contest will open MAAC play at Rider a week later on September 27.
 
BREAKING DOWN THE HARTFORD HAWKS
The Hawks have won contests against Marist and St. Francis Brooklyn this season, and have tied Saint Joseph's and Iona. Hartford's three losses have come against Holy Cross, Yale, and Dartmouth. Eight different players have registered a point this season, led by freshman forward Rasmus Karlsson with three points on a goal and two assists. Sophomore midfielder Alexis Triadis leads the team with two assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Jimmy Slayton has started all seven games in net, giving up just six goals (0.80 GAA) while making 22 saves with two shutouts. Hartford has battled through 16 yellow cards and three red cards in just seven games

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. HARTFORD
Hartford enjoys the slight advantage in the all-time series at 2-1-1. The series began in 1985, and the teams most recently played last season to a 1-1 draw. Jalil Blalock scored the equalizer in the 29th minute off a David Nigro assist. Making his second career start in net, Chris Seager made a career-high four saves to preserve the tie.

SPREADING THE LOVE
Six different Monmouth athletes have scored goals in 2017, including Jake Areman, Andy Martinez, Colin Stripling, Geoffrey Schaefer, Zachary Pereira, and Anes Mrkulic. Areman has added two assists on the season to lead the team with four points, while John Antunes has dished two assists and leads the team with 12 shots.

AMAZING AREMAN
Through the first seven games of the season, senior Jake Areman leads the team with six points on two goals and two assists. Areman scored the go-ahead goal against UMBC on September 9, and also scored Monmouth's first goal at #25 UMass Lowell on September 16 on a perfectly placed free kick. Joining the Hawks ahead of the 2016 season, Areman has started all 25 games, accumulating three goals and six assists in that span.

FRESHMAN CONNECTION
Trailing 2-1 with 25 minutes to play at #25 UMass Lowell on September 16, freshman Santo Arena collected a turnover and passed it ahead to freshman Anes Mrkulic. Mrkulic poked it under the goalkeeper for his first career goal and Arena's first career assist to tie the game at two.
 
UNUSUAL UNDERDOGS
For the first time since 2005, a Rob McCourt-led Monmouth team was not selected as preseason conference favorites. Instead, the Hawks were tabbed third behind Quinnipiac and Rider after a 6-9-3 record in 2016. McCourt has led the Hawks to a 152-65-50 record since his inaugural 2004 season.
 
^{Preseason Conference Poll under Rob McCourt}

2017: 3rd	2010: 1st
2016: 1st	2009: 1st
2015: 1st	2008: 1st
2014: 1st	2007: 1st
2013: 1st	2006: 1st
2012: 1st	2005: 4th
2011: 1st	2004: 9th

 
THE GOLD STANDARD
Monmouth Head Coach Robert McCourt's teams have won nine conference regular season titles in his 13 years directing the program. Included in the Hawks' run of success are five conference tournament championships in the last 11 years and the accompanying NCAA Tournament berths.

SUPER STRIPLING
Redshirt senior Colin Stripling was the lone Monmouth student-athlete named to the Preseason All-MAAC Team, and he enjoys the honor for the second consecutive season. Battling through injury a season ago, Stripling scored four goals in 11 games while racking up 26 shots. He was named to the All-MAAC Second Team for those efforts, a year after being named to the All-MAAC First team after scoring six goals and dishing five assists in 2015. Before sustaining a season-ending injury in 2014, Stripling earned MAAC All-Rookie honors during his freshman year after starting 18 games. Stripling scored the game-winning diving header in the season-opening win over Georgia Southern on August 25.

RETURNING CAST
Monmouth will return 12 letterwinners from last season, led by Preseason All-MAAC selection Colin Stripling. Senior Jake Areman will also return to the fold after tallying six points (one goal, four assists) during his first year in Blue & White. Sophomore Geoff Schaefer, junior Jalil Blalock, and sophomore Michael Luke will all return after scoring two goals each last season. Junior Zachary Pereira also returns after earning All-MAAC Second Team honors in 2016, in addition to sophomore defender Andy Martinez who was named to the MAAC All-Rookie team. Senior Joey Gudzak is back on the Monmouth defense after being one of two players to start all 18 games last season, while classmate Andrew Gee takes the field with 53 career games and five goals under his belt. After sustaining a season-ending injury in the first game of the regular season in 2016, the 2015 NJ Gatorade High School Player of the Year John Antunes will look to make a lasting impact in the midfield.

NUMEROUS NEWCOMERS
The Hawks welcome 12 new players in West Long Branch this Fall, including six freshmen and four transfers. Juniors Bobby Edwards, Luke Bromley, and Henrique Joaquim are joined by sophomore Doni Pollock as 2017 transfers. Edwards enjoyed a lot of success as a goalkeeper at St. Joseph's University, the England native Bromley comes from Florida Southern College, and the Brazil native Joaquim comes from Brevard College. Pollock, a striker, played one year at Old Dominion and contributed two goals in 15 games. Sophomore George Akampeke also joined the fold from Bolgatanga, Ghana, and will play primarily in the midfield. The freshman class includes forward Anes Mrkulic, goalkeeper Sean Murray, midfielder Santo Arena, midfielder Jake Treiber, forward Alex Hajj, and midfielder Dan Frisch-Harmon.
 
ERIC KLENOFSKY DRAFTED BY D.C. UNITED
Following the 2016 season, former goalkeeper Eric Klenofsky was selected 34th overall in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft by D.C. United. Klenofsky became the eighth Monmouth student-athlete selected by an MLS team and the sixth in the last seven years, following Matt Jeffrey (No. 78, Colorado), Bryan Meredith (No. 29, Seattle), Ryan Kinne (No. 42, New England), RJ Allen (No. 43, Chivas USA) and Ryan Clark (No. 39, New York Red Bulls), and the seventh overall, also joining Hugh MacDonald and Tom Gray. Klenofsky garnered multiple accolades throughout his four years in West Long Branch, most recently being named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) First Team All-Northeast Region Team for the second consecutive season. His 36 career wins are the second-most in conference history, and he ends his Monmouth career with 32 shutouts. Klenofsky earned All-MAAC Second Team in 2013 and 2014, before elevating to the First Team and being named MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year in 2015. He was the 2013 and 2014 NCAA Division I Statistical Champion in goals-against average.
 
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