NEWARK, N.J., November 1, 2018 – The No. 2-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's soccer team claimed its first NJCAA Region XV Championship in three years on Wednesday, defeating rival ASA College by a score of 7-0 at Skidelsky Field. As the Region Champions, the Mustangs are now set to compete in the 2018 District Championship, hosted by Essex County College this weekend.
 
DISTRICT CHAMPIONSHIP INFORMATION
Where:
Alumni Field on the campus of Rutgers-Newark – Newark, NJ
 
When:
Friday, Nov. 2 – Saturday, Nov. 3
 
Seeding:
#1 Essex County College: 10-1-1
#2 Harford Community College: 13-2-0 (National Rank: 17)
#3 Sussex County Community College: 7-5
#4 Monroe College: 10-0-1 (National Rank: 2)
 
Schedule:
Friday, Nov. 2:
Game 1: #4 Monroe vs. #1 Essex – 3:30 PM
Game 2: #2 Harford vs. #3 Sussex – 6:30 PM
 
Saturday, Nov. 3:
Finals: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2 – 2:00 PM
 
MUSTANG LEADERS
Juliana Pires leads the Mustangs in both points (38) and assists (8) through 11 games of a fantastic sophomore season. Freshman Maria Santin holds the team lead with 17 goals, the most goals by a student-athlete since Aline Delima scored 23 in 2015. Laia Munoz Danon is the third Mustang in double figures this season, scoring 10 goals to go with seven assists for a total of 27 points. No Mustang scored more than eight goals in 2017.
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Marta Alemany has had a resounding season in net for the Mustangs. She stands at 10-0-1 with a 0.98 goals-against average and .738 save percentage. Alemany has also earned two shutouts this season, one of which came against Essex County just two weeks ago. She has not allowed a single goal in her last 426:04 in net, spanning back to the 50th minute of Monroe's 2-2 draw with then-No. 1 Eastern Florida State College on Sept. 14.
 
As a team, the Mustangs are averaging 6.27 goals per game, good for fourth in the nation this year. Their 25.7 shots per game are third in the NJCAA. The team's 69 goals through 11 contests this season are already 44 more than last year's 25.
 
THE COMPETITION
Essex County
The Wolverines are led by Ashari Bowen, who has a team-high 23 points on nine goals and five assists. Lyla Lionel leads the team with 10 goals on the season. Shanearay Wilkins has handed out a team-best seven assists.
 
In goal, Nicolette Craig has played all 1,100 minutes for the Wolverines. She has a save percentage of .909 on the season, which ranks third in the nation. Craig's goals-against average of 0.57 is 17th best in the NJCAA.
 
The Mustangs and Wolverines met on Oct. 18 in New Rochelle. Monroe handed Essex its only loss of the season, a 3-0 shutout.
 
Harford
Kasie Lambert leads the Fighting Owls this season, totaling 48 points on 14 goals and a team-leading 20 assists through 15 games. Rachel Bohli has netted a team-high 21 goals, totaling 44 points on the season.
 
Goalkeeper Crystal Kline has a 1.53 save percentage through 1353:16 this year. She also owns a .685 save percentage.
 
The Mustangs were one of two teams to defeat the Fighting Owls this season. During the season-opening weekend at the CCBC Essex Tournament, the Mustangs rolled to a 9-1 win over Harford, which was ranked No. 8 in the nation at the time.
 
Sussex County
The Skylanders are led by Karleigh Noll, who has totaled 18 points on the season with a team-high eight goals and two assists. Three different Skylanders have dished out three assists this year to tie for the team lead.
 
Emily Martinez is 7-5 in net for the Skylanders. She has a 2.18 goals-against average and a .636 save percentage.
 
The Mustangs and Skylanders were set to face off in Branchville, N.J. back on Oct. 13, but the game was canceled due to unplayable field conditions after some inclement weather.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).