NORFOLK, Va. – Senior forward George Quintano scored in the 70^th minute as the Monmouth University men’s soccer team upended nationally-ranked No. 14 William & Mary, 1-0, in the opening round of the Stihl Soccer Challenge, Friday afternoon at the ODU Soccer Complex. With the win, the Hawks improve to 3-0-0 on the season, while the loss drops the Tribe to 2-2-0.

“Today was a good match between two good teams,” said Monmouth Head Coach Rob McCourt. “At times we struggled with the humidity but in the end we got a positive win on the road against a good team. We created some good chances in the first half but did not finish them off.  Credit to William & Mary, as they came back strong in the second half.”

After a first half in which the Hawks dominated possession and rifled off eight shots to the Tribe’s two, William & Mary evened things in the second, edging Monmouth, 5-4.

But the difference was Quintano’s marker 69:26 into the match. Three seniors combined on the effort, as Anthony Vazquez sent a long pass that RJ Allen took two quick touches on to feed Quintano for the tally. Both Vazquez and Allen were credited with assists. Allen has now figured in each of the Hawks’ three goals in three 1-0 victories to start the season.

Junior goalkeeper Alex Blackburn and the Monmouth defense posted their third consecutive clean sheet to begin the season. Blackburn made one save on the afternoon to earn the win, moving to 3-0-0. Bennett Jones made three saves in defeat for William & Mary.

Monmouth outshot its third straight opponent, taking a 12-7 edge. The Hawks’ defense fought off four Tribe corner kicks, while Monmouth took two opportunities of its own.

The Hawks return to action Sunday, when they square off against host Old Dominion. Kickoff from the ODU Soccer Complex is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.      

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