WASHINGTON, DC – Freshman back Michael Luke (Martinsville, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan) scored his first collegiate goal off a Jake Areman (Freehold, NJ/Colts Neck) corner kick in the 38th minute as the Monmouth University men’s soccer team blanked Howard, 1-0, on the road Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Hawks improve to 1-4-2, while the Bison slip to 1-5-2. 

 

The clean sheet was the first of the year for the Monmouth defense and junior goalkeeper Zack Neugebauer (Waldwick, NJ/Waldwick), who made five saves to gain his first collegiate victory. 

 

QUOTES & NOTES

“We’re really happy to get the win. It’s nice to get a win on the road. I’m happy with the guys’ performance. They’ve been working hard all year and our team chemistry has been great. The guys are very excited about getting the conference portion of the schedule started.” – Monmouth Head Coach Robert McCourt

 

 

- Luke became the fifth different Hawk to score a goal this season, joining David Nigro (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro), Colin Stripling (Scotch Plains, NJ/Scotch Plains-Fanwood), Jalil Blalock (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth) and Areman. Luke followed in his brother, Derek’s, footsteps, as the elder Luke’s first career goal also came as a game-winner in a 1-0 victory (Sept. 22, 2011 at Columbia) early in his freshman year. 

- Areman now has a team-leading three assists on the year, including two coming off corner kicks.

- Neugebauer, making his second career start in net, made five saves for the second-straight game. The win is the first of his collegiate career.

- Monmouth threatened to make it a two-goal lead in the 40th minute, but Zachary Pereira’s (Rahway, NJ/St. Benedict’s) shot from 25 yards out hit the crossbar.

- Monmouth took a 2-1 lead in the all-time series with Howard, including a pair of clean sheets in the last two meetings.

- Two Hawks – freshman back Andy Martinez (Paterson, NJ/St. Benedict’s) and sophomore midfielder Anderson Asiedu (Hoboken, NJ/St. Benedict’s) have played every minute this season for Monmouth. 

 

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS

- Monmouth took a 15-13 edge in shots, including a 9-5 discrepancy in shots on goal. 

- The Hawks also enjoyed a 7-4 advantage in corner kicks.

- Monmouth kept Howard goalkeeper Kenneth Hersey busy, forcing him to make seven saves in defeat. The Howard defense was also credited with a team save for clearing a shot off the goal line. 

- No cards were issued in the contest.

- Stripling and Nigro led Monmouth with two shots each. All four of the shots were on target.

 

UP NEXT

The Hawks open conference play following a 10-day break from action on Tuesday, Sept. 27, against Manhattan. Kickoff from Hesse Field on The Great Lawn is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.