Montclair State gets by Salve Regina
The Montclair State Red Hawks got over the first hurdle in its effort to return to the NCAA Division III men’s soccer final four with its 2-1 win over Salve Regina in Oneonta, N.Y. The Red Hawks, who are ranked No. 11 in the latest NSCAA Coaches poll, advance into the second round of the tournament against the winner of the SUNY Oneonta/MIT match tomorrow at 1:30pm, also in Oneonta.
Montclair (18-2) carried the play throughout the first half, out shooting Salve Regina (16-6-1) 13-1. Fortunately for the Seahawks, Montclair only put one to the back of the goal.
Midway through the opening half of play, the Red Hawks turned a throw in into a goal. Freshman Lucas Terci collected the throw from sophomore Brian Cullen, took one touch and blasted a shot from 25 yards out that found the upper right corner of the goal.
“My guys came out on fire today,” said Montclair coach Todd Tumelty. “We played an up-tempo style of soccer that we talk about all the time.”
“We had a certain amount of anxiousness in the first half,” said Seahawks coach Craig O’Rourke.
The momentum seemed to shift dramatically at the start of the second half, as the Seahawks began to generate multiple scoring chances early. Salve Regina’s hard work finally paid off in the 61st minute when they scored the equalizer.
Sophomore forward Alex Wasilewski took a pass into the box by classmate Issa Demirgioglu and was able to get a shot off that sailed into the upper right corner of the goal.
The goal by Salve Regina seemed to reignite Montclair, as they picked the pace back up. In the 69th minute, the Red Hawks went ahead 2-1 on a goal by junior Dan Mendoza.
Mendoza received a pass from the right flank where he was able to free himself before rifling a shot by Jeffrey L’Heureaux. L’Heureaux finished the game with a pair of saves.
“In the second half I thought we did a better job of attacking them,” continued O’Rourke. “Hats off to Montclair on a spectacular effort today. They were the better team on this day.”
“Being a young team, we are still working on closing out games,” said Tumelty. “Salve Regina never gave up and I give them credit for fighting to the end.”
Tumelty concluded, “I am looking forward to tomorrow’s match. MIT and Oneonta both have great programs. It will be an exciting match.”
