DAYTONA, Fla., November 14, 2018 – The No. 7-seeded Monroe College Mustangs proved that they were ready for the national stage on Wednesday, as the Mustangs shutout No. 2 seed, and two-time defending National Champion Tyler Junior College by a score of 2-0 at the Daytona State College Soccer Field. The Mustangs win Pool B with six points, eliminating Tyler from the tournament and advancing to the NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship semifinals on Friday.
The Mustangs become just the second team in the past 10 seasons to knock out Tyler before the National Championship game, as the Apaches have appeared in eight of the past 10 NJCAA Title matches. Monroe also makes the semifinals of the tournament for the second time in three seasons.
The game was scoreless for most of the first half, but the Mustangs looked like the better team for the early part of the game. The Mustangs were outshooting the Apaches throughout the period, and had a 5-0 lead in shots on goal in the first 40 minutes.
The Mustangs then broke through in the 42nd minute. A foul gave the Mustangs a free kick from about 29 yards out toward the left of the box. From there,
Tobias Pellio lined up as if he would shoot to the right corner, but instead he struck it top-shelf to the left of the goal, catching the goalie off guard and hitting the back of the net to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead right before halftime.
The Mustangs continued to control possession for much of the game, eventually leading to them improving upon their lead in the 82nd minute.
Caio Guazzelli weaved around defenders, found himself wide open at the top of the box, and fired a rocket toward the bottom-right corner of the net, easily getting it past the goalkeeper to make it a 2-0 game.
The Mustangs did not let up, earning a few more scoring opportunities in the final minutes and keeping their opponents away from the goal. They held possession through the final whistle, and the Mustang sideline erupted as they officially earned their spot in the semifinals.
Victor Camps made two stops in net for the Mustangs' second straight shutout, improving his record to 9-1-2 on the season. Neil Strauber made seven saves but allowed two goals to fall to 9-2 for the Apaches.
The Mustangs outshot the Apaches, 13-11, and held a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal in the win. Tyler earned six corner kicks to just three for Monroe.
The Mustangs are now set to challenge No. 1 seed Pima Community College in Friday's first semifinal matchup. The game is set to kick off at 12 p.m.
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).
