LANCASTER, S.C., August 27, 2023 – It was a near flawless effort for the No. 1-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team on Sunday, as the Mustangs shutout USC Lancaster, 8-0. The Mustangs improve to 2-0 on the season with the win, including a 13-0 goal differential, while the Lancers fall to 0-2.
 
The Mustangs exploded out of the gates in Sunday's matchup. In the fourth minute, Felipe Jaime Arruda found Alejandro Silvestrini off a corner kick, allowing Silvestrini to score and make it a quick 1-0 lead for Monroe.
 
71 seconds later, Arruda netted one himself off an assist from Thiago Jose Da Silva to double the lead. In the sixth minute, Taiga Matoba took a corner kick, finding Tal Torgeman for the score, Torgeman's second of the weekend, to make it a 3-0 game.
 
Things slowed down after that until the Mustangs netted one more in the 37th minute when Ryosuke Tanaka potted his second of the season off a feed from Taisei Iida, leaving the Mustangs up, 4-0, heading into the half.
 
In the 49th minute, the Mustangs drew a foul in the box, giving Arruda a penalty-kick opportunity. He came through on his attempt, scoring his second of the game to push Monroe's lead to 5-0 early in the second half.
 
Hugo Dzikinsons got in on the action in the 64th minute when Arruda set him up for his second goal of the season to make it a 6-0 contest. Just over a minute later, Tal Torgeman found Sunao Yamamoto for his second of the year to push the score to 7-0.
 
In the 67th minute, Tanaka got on the board for the second time, putting it in the net off a feed from Hayato Otaka for a commanding 8-0 advantage.
 
Riku Yamasaki got the start in net for the Mustangs, earning the win after playing all 45 minutes in the first half to start his season 2-0. Beckham Boomershine took the loss for USC Lancaster after yielding four goals in the first half with five saves. Alvaro Ramos and Johan Morales split the second half and kept the Lancers off the board.
 
Arruda totaled six points on the day with two goals and two assists to lead the way for Monroe. Tanaka also scored twice to push his season total to three. Torgeman had his second straight three-point effort with a goal and an assist in the win.
 
The Mustangs spent most of the time in the offensive third, outshooting the Lancers, 26-2, with an 18-2 advantage in shots on goal. The Mustangs also earned six of the game's seven corner kicks, scoring off of two of them.
 
With two wins now under their belt, the Mustangs come home for a few days before taking a trip down to Maryland next weekend for the Tom Bichey Memorial Tournament, hosted by Montgomery College. The Mustangs open the weekend on Saturday, Sept. 2, in a neutral-site matchup against Harford Community College. Saturday's kickoff is set for 4:30 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 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs). Read Full Article