ROCHESTER, N.Y., September 13, 2018 – In what the NJCAA has dubbed the "Monroe Derby" the No. 6-ranked Monroe College Mustangs women's soccer team defeated No. 10 Monroe Community College (MCC) at the Tribunes' home turf of John L. DiMarco Field on Thursday by a score of 6-3. The Mustangs improve to a perfect 5-0 on the season with the big road win, while the Tribunes fall to 5-2.
 
The win marks the Mustangs' seventh victory over the Tribunes since 2011. Monroe College won last year's contest at home against then No. 2-ranked MCC, 2-1, in a thrilling overtime contest on Sept. 9, 2017.
 
The Mustangs made their mark first in Thursday's Top-10 battle in Rochester. The ball trickled back to Yolanda Albalat at the top of the goalie box, where she sent a rocket into the top of the net to give the Mustangs a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.
 
The Tribunes responded when Arianna Green managed to send a long free kick from nearly midfield over the keeper and into the Mustangs' net, tying the game at 1-1 at the 12:04 mark.
 
The scoring slowed down after a hot start, but picked back up later in the first half. The Mustangs regained the lead in the 35th minute of the contest when Francesca Sullivan found a streaking Mayara Queiroz Reis in the middle of the field, where she turned and beat a defender down the left side and snuck it past the keeper to the right of the goal to put the Mustangs ahead, 2-1.
 
Four minutes later, MCC's Thenia Zervas sent one forward to lead Roosa Ariyo near the top of the box, where she had a step on two Mustang defenders. She fired low toward the net, and was able to get it over the line, tying the game at 2-2 before the half.
 
The Mustangs did not waste any time in the second half, as Maria Santin scored off an assist from Laia Munoz Danon after a beautiful cross to the center of the box to give the visitors a 3-2 advantage at the 47:01 mark. Santin struck again in the 62nd minute on a bang-bang play that saw Angie Ponce take a pass in the left side of the box, quickly turn and cross it to Santin in the center of the box, and then she fired it past the keeper to give the Mustangs a two-goal advantage.
 
At the 81:03 mark, Juliana Pires was given a penalty-kick opportunity. Pires blasted it to the left corner of the net, past a diving goalkeeper to make it a three-goal game with time starting to run out on the Tribunes. Santin then completed the hat trick with 100 seconds to play, scoring off a feed from Alba Gonzalez right in front of the keeper to make it 6-2. Ariyo scored once more for the Tribunes just 37 seconds after Santin's goal, but the Mustangs held on for the 6-3 win.
 
Mustang goalkeeper Marta Alemany improved to 5-0 on the season after making a pair of saves in Thursday's victory. MCC keeper Meryl Wakefield falls to 4-2 on the season with the loss.
 
Santin's three goals led the way for the Mustangs on Thursday. After her second hat trick, and third multi-goal game of the season, Santin now leads the team with 10 goals in just five games. Albalat, Queiroz Reis and Pires provided the other three goals for Monroe, while Sullivan, Munoz Danon, Ponce and Gonzalez each picked up an assist.
 
The Mustangs outshot the Tribunes, 22-16, holding a 12-6 advantage in shots on goal. The Mustangs also held a 6-3 edge in corner kicks in the win.
 
Monroe faces another challenging task on Friday, Sept. 14, when they take on No. 1 Eastern Florida State College in Rochester. Friday's huge contest begins at 12 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).