Monroe University Bronx

Express Men's Soccer's Valiant Comeback Effort Falls Short Against Westchester Community College

9/6/2023 7:49:00 AM

NEW ROCHELLE - The Monroe College - Bronx men's soccer team opened the 2023 season with a hard-fought loss in Region 15 play to Westchester Community College, 3-2, at Flowers Park Soccer Field on Tuesday afternoon, September 5.

The Express (0-1, 0-1 Region 15) trailed by two goals twice but tallies from sophomore defender Lorenz Utz and second-year defender James Gallagher inched the Blue and Gold closer. However, it would not be enough as rookie midfielder Juan Espinosa's goal off the penalty kicked served as the official match winner for the Vikings (1-0, 1-0 Region 15). Gallagher finished the day with a goal and an assist for Monroe. Rookie forward Marvyn Baltazar added a helper for the Express

During the afternoon, Westchester had the advantage in shots, 21-12 and the edge in corner kicks, 2-1. In net, rookie Krit Raj Maharjan made 10 saves in his collegiate soccer debut for the Express.

Westchester kicked off the scoring during the 24th minute as freshman midfielder Andrik Palma took a feed from sophomore forward Brian Cifuentes and rifled the ball into the back of the net to give the Vikings a 1-0 advantage. That would be the score after 45 minutes of play.

Just under 11 minutes into the second stanza, the Vikings struck again as Espinosa found Alejandro Mina who connected on his first goal of the year to pad the visiting team's lead to a duo of goals.

Monroe would not go down without a fight as Gallagher was able to set up Utz who drilled the ball into the back of the net, during the 69th minute, to slice the home team's deficit in half at 2-1, with 21:12 left to play in the match.

However, 16:12 later, Espinosa of Westchester drew a foul inside the box and took advantage of the penalty kick opportunity by lining the ball past a diving Maharjan to give the Vikings their second two-goal lead of the afternoon. 

In the closing minute, Gallagher was deep inside the box and snuck the ball into the net off a pass from Baltazar to once again pull Monroe to within a goal with 25 ticks left in the match. However, it would not be enough as Westchester came away with the season-opening Region 15 win, 3-2.

For the Vikings, sophomore goalkeeper Nicholas Nunez made five saves in net to secure the victory between the posts. Espinosa finished the day with the official match-winning goal and an assist.

Monroe - Bronx will hit the road for a Region 15 match against Borough of Manhattan Community College, on Thursday afternoon, September 7, at Pier 40. The contest is scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.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 21 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 and men's volleyball programs, 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 Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).