NEWARK, N.J., November 9, 2019 – The No. 1- ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team is one step away from clinching its spot in the 2019 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship tournament, as the Mustangs shutout Massasoit Community College, 7-0, Saturday afternoon in the East District Championship semifinals at Rutgers-Newark's Frederick Douglass Field. The Mustangs are now set up to take on No. 10 Essex County College in Sunday's district title game at 11 a.m.
 
The Mustangs improved to an undefeated 13-0 with Saturday's victory. They got things started quickly, as the NJCAA's leading scorer, Luca Erhardt, got Monroe on the board off an assist from Othman Gherab at the 14:35 mark. Roque Viegas quickly made it 2-0 at 15:28 mark after being set up by Leon Sitz. Viegas scored again at 34:47, this time being fed by Erhardt, eventually sending the game to the half with the Mustangs on top, 3-0.
 
Ronaldo Da Silva got things rolling again in the second half with back-to-back goals in the 48th and 51st minutes, the latter off an assist by Jorge Diaz, leaving the Mustangs ahead, 5-0. Gherab made it a 6-0 game in the 78th minute on an unassisted score, and then Rintaro Takagi set up Kaiya Kobayashi in the 88th minute for one more Mustang goal to finish off the 7-0 victory.
 
Victor Camps made four saves and did not allow a goal to improve to 7-0 on the season for the Mustangs in net. Massasoit starter David Issac made nine stops but gave up seven scores to take the loss.
 
The Mustangs outshot the Warriors, 39-6, in Saturday's victory, including a 16-4 margin in shots on goal. They also amassed eight corner kicks, while the Warriors had just three.
 
Monroe will look to earn its way to Tyler, Texas tomorrow when the Mustangs challenge the host Wolverines from Essex County in the East District Championship game at Rutgers-Newark. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 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).