NORTH EASTON, Mass., November 3, 2018 – Luca Erhardt's goal 124 seconds into the game was the difference on Saturday, as the No. 9-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team shut out No. 8 Essex County College, 2-0, in the semifinals of the Northeast District Championships at WB Mason Stadium to advance to the Championship Game against host Massasoit Community College.
 
Erhardt scored off a feed from Javier Rodriguez at the 2:04 mark of the first half to give the Mustangs an immediate 1-0 lead in Saturday's semifinal contest. Neither team was able to get on the board again until the final seconds of the game, when Caio Guazzeli redirected a cross from Othman Gherab into the net with 18 seconds left to play, capping off a 2-0 victory.
 
Victor Camps earned a shutout victory with five saves on Saturday to improve to 6-1-2 on the season. Essex's Matteo Geraci allowed two goals and made five saves in the losing effort.
 
The Mustangs held a 14-9 advantage in shots in the win, as well as a 7-5 edge in shots on goal. Essex earned four corner kicks, while Monroe had just one.
 
The Mustangs are now set to take on tournament host Massasoit on Sunday in Brockton, Mass. to determine the 2018 Northeast District Champion. The Mustangs previously defeated the Warriors on their home turf back on Sept. 15 by a score of 6-0. The game is set to kick off at 1 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, and the newly added club men's volleyball team, 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).