#6 Monmouth Hawks (4-2-1) – 2
#2 Rider Broncs (3-1-1) - 0
LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – Led by goals from sophomore
Julian Gomez (Fairview, NJ/St. Benedict's) and senior
Sebastian Rodriguez (Cartago, Costa Rica/Mont Berkeley/Virginia Tech), the Monmouth University men's soccer team defeated #2 Rider to advance to the MAAC Championship game, 2-0.
Gomez gave Monmouth an early lead, taking a feed from sophomore
Ben Zakowski (Glen Rock, NJ/Glen Rock) and finding the back of the net exactly 7:00 into the game.
In the 51
st minute, Zakowski poked a ball into open space where Rodriguez ran up and placed it inside the right post for the 2-0 advantage.
Redshirt junior goalkeeper
Sean Murray (Fanwood, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood) registered his third shutout of the season, making six saves in the win.
Monmouth's record improves to 4-2-1 on the season. The Hawks will face #1 Quinnipiac for the MAAC Championship this Saturday.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"Today was a total team effort once again. Playing six of our eight games on the road has been difficult, but this group is totally resilient and committed to the Monmouth jersey. We are excited to play in another final."
– Monmouth head coach Robert McCourt
-Exactly seven minutes into the contest, sophomore
Luke McBeth won a header on a goal kick. Zakowski poked it over the defense where Gomez gathered it, evaded two defenders, and scored inside the far post with his left foot.
-In the 15
th minute, junior
Christoffer Jensen shot a free kick from just outside the 18 that hit the crossbar. Junior
Robin Oswald's shot off the rebound also hit the crossbar. Zakowski's follow up was blocked.
-Early in the second half, Oswald played a long ball up the right sideline for Zakowski. He made a move inside and left the ball off for Rodriguez, who gave Monmouth a 2-0 lead.
-Monmouth's defense was unyielding and Murray made three saves with the two-goal lead to seal the semifinal win.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Gomez scored his fourth goal of the season, which leads the team.
-Rodriguez scored for the second time this season, and fourth at Monmouth.
-Zakowski leads the team with four assists. He has 21 points in 24 career games.
-Murray lowered his goals against average to 1.09 this season, the lowest of his career.
-The Hawks will play in the MAAC Championship game for the first time since 2015, when they advanced to their third straight.
-Monmouth will play its sixth road game out of eight on Saturday.
UP NEXT
No. 6 Monmouth will travel to No. 1 Quinnipiac for the MAAC Championship this Saturday. The teams did not play during the regular season.
