PRESCOTT, Ariz., November 15, 2017 – The No. 7-seeded Monroe Mustangs men's soccer team fell to the No. 2-seeded Schoolcraft Ocelots, 2-0, in their final pool play match of the NJCAA Division I National Championship, ending their quest to return to the National Championship game.
 
After a back-and-forth first half, Monroe and Schoolcraft took a scoreless tie into the halftime break. Though the Ocelots outshot the Mustangs in the first half, 12-9, Svyat Kozak helped keep Monroe and Schoolcraft knotted in a scoreless tie with four terrific saves.
 
The Mustangs had their chances in the first, including terrific shots from Gabriel Machado and Carlos Rodriguez, but neither Monroe nor Schoolcraft was able to find the back of net before the break.
 
The Ocelots though, came out hot to start the second half, breaking the scoreless tie on Hakeem Sadler's penalty kick just nine minutes into the second half.
 
Just eight minutes later, Sadler found the back of the net once again to extend Schoolcraft's lead over the Mustangs to 2-0.
 
And while the Mustangs had their chances the rest of the way, Monroe just couldn't find the back of the net. For the game, the Mustangs outshot Schoolcraft, 28-18, but Ocelot's goalie Juan Gomez made 10 saves, saving all 10 of the Mustangs' shots on goal.
 
Monroe finishes the season 13-2-2 overall, with a second-straight Region XV Championship under their belt.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, will have six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level beginning in the fall of 2017.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs