Tyler, Texas – The Monroe College Men's Soccer team continued its regular season dominance into the opening round of the NJCAA National Championship on Monday with a 9-2 victory over College of Southern Nevada. The Mustangs will next face #7 Daytona State College in Pool B play on Wednesday. The National Championship is being played at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.
 
Monroe scored all nine goals in the first half. Southern Nevada took possession of the opening kick and took a shot at Svyat Kozak in the opening minute of play. The Mustangs regained control of the ball and countered with a goal just three minutes into action, when Gabriel Machado flicked the ball into the box and Felipe Hideki scored. Monroe took the lead, 1-0, and kept it for the remainder of the game.
 
Ten minutes later, Machado made the score 2-0 with a goal of his own. Next, he connected with Ignacio Goya, whose marker put Monroe ahead, 3-0. Team captain Evan Finnegan chipped a ball from way out that caromed past the Coyotes' keeper, bringing the score to 4-0. In the 22^nd minute, Machado found Finnegan for the sophomore's second goal.
 
Finnegan completed his hat trick at 40 minutes. Hideki, Machado, and Goya all scored again in the first half, giving the Mustangs a 9-1 lead into half-time. Southern Nevada scored once in the second half, and the final score was 9-2 for Monroe. The team is now 17-0 on the season.
 
All 24 players on the team's post-season roster saw action in the game. The nine-goal output was the highest total of all the first-round games to date. It is also the most total goals tallied by Monroe in an NJCAA National Championship out of four different appearances.
 
The Monroe College Men's Soccer team will complete Pool B play on Wednesday, November 16^th, when they face Daytona State College. The game is slated for 4:00 PM Eastern and can be viewed here.