CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., September 19, 2023 –
Felipe Jaime Arruda sent an impressive free kick into the top-left corner of the net to help lift the No. 1-ranked Monroe College Mustangs men's soccer team to a gritty 2-1 victory at East District foe Harcum College on Tuesday at The Proving Grounds. The Mustangs remain unbeaten at 6-0 with the win, while the Bears fall to 3-1-1 with their first loss of the season.
A 1-1 halftime stalemate ended on a free kick by the Mustangs in the 73rd minute of the match. A foul just outside the box set Monroe up for the opportunity. The Mustangs lined up a striker on either side of the ball, and Arruda ended up taking the kick with his left foot, bending it around Harcum's wall and into the top-left corner of the net to give the Mustangs the 2-1 advantage later in the second half. Arruda's goal proved to be the game-winner, as the Mustangs held on for the one-score win.
It did not take long for the Mustangs to jump ahead in Tuesday's matchup. In the 12th minute, after
Alejandro Silvestrini brought the ball into the box and kept it away from the defense, he got it to the top of the box where
Felipe Jaime Arruda was able to set up
Sunao Yamamoto to fire it past the keeper and put the Mustangs up, 1-0.
Monroe's incredible shutout streak came to an end with just 71 seconds left in the first half. A foul in the box gave Guillermo Avendaño a penalty-kick opportunity, on which he scored to tie the game at 1-1 and send the game to halftime knotted up at a goal apiece.
Alvaro Ramos made his second straight start and earned his second straight win on Tuesday, making two saves to improve to 2-0 on the season. Harcum keeper Alejandro Arguelles took the loss after yielding two goals with just one save.
The Mustangs' shutout streak ends at 493:49 for 2023 alone. The last time the Mustangs allowed a goal was in the 2022 NJCAA Div. I Men's Soccer Championship semifinals when Cowley College scored just 80 seconds into the match. Stretching back to that game, Monroe's shutout streak reached back a total of 672:23.
With their sixth win in as many contests in-hand, the Mustangs will look to extend their undefeated run on Friday, Sept. 22, when they host Mercer County Community College at Skidelsky Field at City Park. Friday's matchup is set to kick off at 5 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).
