NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., August 31, 2021 - Behind four first-half markers, with three coming off the foot of sophomore Edwin Zuniga Lopez (Bronx, NY), the Monroe Express men's soccer team coasted in their season-opener against visiting SUNY Ulster, 5-1, on Tuesday evening at Home at City Park. The Express improved to 1-0 on the season while the Senators dropped to 0-1..

The Express wasted no time getting on the board first as Ulises Gomez (Cali, Colombia) split two defenders inside the 18 and rolled it into the low left pocket in the 8th minute to make it 1-0. Lopez put on a show for the rest of the first half, recording his fourth career hat-trick. He buried two of his first three goals seventeen seconds apart, on a rebound late in the 10th minute, and on a blast early in the 11th minute before beautifully placing a strike from the top of the 18 for the sombrero in the 41st minute, giving Monroe-Bronx a 4-0 halftime advantage.  

After Express peppered the Senator's net in the first half outshooting them 12-3, the second half just produced six total shots between both squads. 

In the 61st minute, freshman midfielder Juan Henao (Colombia) tapped in a loose rebound from inside the goal box to stretch the lead to 5-0. Modou Badjie spoiled the Express's shutout aspirations in the 64th minute when his right-footed blast deflected off a Monroe-Bronx defender and over freshman goalie Aaron Quezada's (Chihuahua, Mexico) head to make it 5-1. The Express took it from there, running out the clock for victory number one on the 2021 season.

Sophomore Jose Hernandez (Guatemala) and Quesada both played one half each between the pipes, with Quesada recording one stop in the contest. Justin Dunikowski made five saves in the net for the Senators.

The Express will return to City Park on September 8th to take on the 2019 CUNYAC Champion Borough of Manhattan Community College Panthers on Wednesday, September 8th at 2 p.m. 

Notables

• The Express have now won both their Home and Season Opening games against Ulster Community College. Monroe-Bronx defeated SUNY Ulster back in 2019 by the score of 4-0.
• Edwin Zuniga Lopez (Bronx, NY) recorded the Express's first-ever opening day hat-trick in school history and the program's second multi-goal game in an opener since Emerson Guevara (Brooklyn, N.Y.) did it against SUNY Ulster in a 4-0 victory back in 2019.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports program, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.

For more information about the Monroe Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter (@MonroeExpress) and Instagram (@MonroeExpress).