#6 Monmouth Hawks (3-2-1) – 2
#3 Niagara Purple Eagles (5-3-0) - 1
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, NY – Overcoming a 19
th minute deficit and red card, the Monmouth University men's soccer team scored two second-half goals to defeat Niagara and advance to the MAAC semifinals, 2-1.
After a foul in the box and red card, the Purple Eagles scored on a penalty kick midway through the first half to go ahead 1-0.
In the 58
th minute, the Hawks scored the equalizer, as junior
Liam McGregor's (Middletown, NJ/Middletown North) long cross found the head of sophomore
Julian Gomez (Fairview, NJ/St. Benedict's), who flicked it above the goalkeeper.
Just 1:28 later, Monmouth was awarded a free kick. Junior
Christoffer Jensen (Hobro, Denmark/Tradium HHX/Marian) played a perfect curling ball to the box, where junior
Robin Oswald (Bavaria, Germany/Maristen-Gymnasium Furth) leaped and tapped it to the back of the net.
The Hawks survived a couple of late Niagara chances, as redshirt junior
Sean Murray (Fanwood, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) kept a clean sheet in the second half to seal the win.
Monmouth's record improves to 3-2-1 on the season, and the team will travel to No. 2 Rider for the MAAC semifinals on Wednesday.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"Tremendous character across the board from our guys today. The trip to Niagara once is tough, but two wins against a good team in four days is a true testament to the grit we have in this team. I could not be more proud of them."
– Monmouth head coach Robert McCourt
"We fought through when we went down early. We settled in and just tried to create some chances. Now, we're very lucky that we have a chance to move forward to the next round. The mentality of this group is just insane. Seeing what we did from last year to this year, it's amazing. We just want to keep on this track."
– Junior defender Robin Oswald
-Early on, Oswald saved a shot attempt on the goal line.
-After back-to-back Niagara corners, redshirt junior
Alex Hajj stopped a shot on the doorstep from his position on the far post.
-Niagara was awarded a penalty kick in the 19
th minute after the Hawks poked the ball away inside the box. The Purple Eagles capitalized for the 1-0 lead. Monmouth was also handed a red card, forcing the road team to play a man down for the remainder of the contest.
-McGregor played a long cross into the box in the 58th minute, and Gomez headed it home with his back turned to the goal.
-Just over a minute later, Jensen played a free kick into the box where Oswald connected on a volley for the 2-1 lead.
-The Hawks did not allow a goal in the 71:25 they played a man down.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Gomez scored his third goal of the season, which is tied with McGregor for the team lead.
-Oswald scored for the second time this season, and is second on the team with six total points.
-McGregor leads the team with eight points on the season after adding an assist.
-Jensen notched his first assist on the year. He has started all six games.
-Redshirt junior goalkeeper
Sean Murray registered four saves.
-Niagara had an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
-Monmouth will play its fifth road game out of seven on Wednesday.
UP NEXT
No. 6 Monmouth will travel to No. 2 Rider in the MAAC semifinals on Wednesday. The teams did not meet during the regular season.
